Cult of The Night
by improbable truth
Summary: A hundred years after the death of Khali and the establishment of Elenea, a new breed of evil infected Midcryu. It was called the Cult of the Night.
1. CoTN: Chapter 1

A circle of figures stood around a large stone altar, chanting in whispers to a forgotten spirit. The room was a large chamber with an endless ceiling and a cold floor. It was large enough to easily fit four scores of men. Two torches adorning the wide doorway emitted the only source of heat and light; other than that, the room was practically a cave.

The five figures surrounding the altar had their palms pressed together in prayer. The heavy black cloaks they wore hid their eyes, allowing only the tip of their nose and their moving mouths to be seen. Even though their eyes were hidden, a feeling of intimidation could be felt from them. Other than the prayers that were being chanted the room was utterly silent. Despite there not being any windows, a chilling breeze passed through the room, shaking the confidence of the torches' flames.

The pattering of small footsteps echoed in the long hallway just outside of the room. As the sound grew closer to the room it slowed quite deliberately. Who ever the person was, he or she was taking his or her time getting to the room. The heavy thumping of the newcomer's heart could be heard in the silence of the room. A woman dressed in the same black cloak as the other five stepped into the doorway and all chanting came to a stop. No one moved.

The woman was much smaller in comparison to the other five figures surrounding the altar. The cloak nearly hid her entire face, barely leaving room for her mouth to be seen. It was amazing she hadn't tripped while she was running towards the chamber. She heaved a deep breath and lifted her foot to approach the five... except her cloak was stuck underneath her foot and she tripped. A loud thud resonated throughout the room. The fires danced rapidly, as if laughing at her mistake.

Irritation and impatience surged through the other five in the room. The feeling was mutual as the woman pushed herself up from the ground and carefully made her way to the circle that was now watching her intently from beneath the shadows of their cloaks. They did not make room for to join the circle.

"You are late," said the one to her right.

The woman cringed at the condescending tone in the man's voice. It was one thing to be a late, it was another to be barely initiated and be late. Tardiness was barely tolerated and the consequences of not abiding by the cult's standards were not enjoyable.

"I forgot there was a sacrifice today," she replied with her head tilted down towards the floor. The ominous color of the stone floor seemed to have a magnetic attraction to her eyes.

"No excuses, Kara," said the man to her left. "Just because you've only been a member for a few days does not give you the right to create excuses. You know that there has to be six of us here to sacrifice to the Night Angel."

Kara nodded to her superior and glanced quickly at the altar where a body was laid. The cult's weekly sacrifice consisted of the worst criminals in Midcryu. It was their way of offering justice to the Night Angel in the hopes that he would bestow his blessing upon the cult and its endeavors. Kara wondered what the man on the table had done.

"Get in your spot and lead us in the sacrifice," said the man who had first spoken.

Kara nodded again and stood directly in front of the altar, facing the man who was curled up in a ball. Soft sobs could be heard coming from the criminal on the table. A pang of pity flooded through Kara's system. She didn't want to kill this man. She wanted nothing to do with his death. Just then, the criminal lifted his head to face Kara, a pleading look adorned his face.

"Please," he begged. "I didn't mean it."

Kara turned to the person on her left to protest only to be met by the condescending shadow glare that most members were accustomed to giving the newly initated. It was a hard concept for them to grasp. Delievering justice meant that you had to also deliver a part of yourself to the Night Angel. It took weeks before the newly admitted, like Kara, came to terms with the idea.

"He doesn't deserve to live," the man stated. "He did wrong and we must deliever justice."

"Bu-" Kara began.

"Begin the sacrifical rites," he ordered.

Kara turned back to the altar to find the man staring adamantly at her, hoping for pardon. With a heavy heart, Kara began the sacrifice.

"Life is empty," she began.


	2. CoTN: Chapter 2

Kara sat with her legs folded underneath her, blood spread freely from where it was splattered on her thick cloak. It soaked through the material and congealed there, stinking of death and wrongness. More blood dripped from the altar that stood before the collapsed Kara. In her hand, Kara held a dull knife loosely. It gleamed in the dim light of the Sacrifical Chamber with blood. The only other person in the room stood on the opposite side of the altar, unable to see the dull expression on Kara's face.

The shocked girl watched as blood slowly puddled at the bottom of the altar. The regret and pain were visble on her face. If not for the cloak hiding her facial expressions, the other members would have been able to see the aprehension in her young face.

"Stand up," the man in the room ordered.

Kara obeyed quickly but took time to stand up. A sickening feeling settled in her stomach as the top of the altar came into view. The girl fought the urge to vomit as the grotesque sight was once again revealed to her. The smell of blood and feces smoldered together attacked her nostrils. The dismembered body screamed silently at the girl, taunting her as if it were still alive. It screamed injustice and murder. Kara dropped the knife nosily to the floor where it clattered several times before becoming mute again. Whatever flesh was on the altar had once been it was no longer recognizable. The semblence of a torso appeared to be four different sacs of flesh. An arm and leg were barely distinguishable. It was a crime against human dignity. It was an atrocity. And it was all of Kara's doing.

"You did well today," the man stated with no intonation of praise.

But how could this be a good thing? How could be killing this man and stripping him of life result in anything good? To Kara, it felt like it was the exact opposite. What had she gotten herself into? Doubt seemed to swim through every crevice of her mind and stain Kara with regret, its closest cousin. Did she really believe in justice so much that she was willing to kill for it?

"I know it seems difficult to understand at first," the man said never moving his gaze from Kara's. "But it is what must be done. You did a good thing today." He paused for a moment. "This man raped his two daughters and then killed his family, including a two-year old son."

Kara looked at the speaking man with shock. Disgust had replaced whatever doubt that had intruded her mind and whatever guilt Kara had been harboring had now floated away. The bitter taste of anger washed over Kara. The man didn't deserve what Kara had done to him. He deserved worse.

What kind of man would do such evil things to his family? What did he have to gain out of it except the guilt that would follow him for life? Kara despised the mutilated corpse on the table. Kara felt wrong for feeling such violent feelings towards the now deceased man but she felt that those feelings were well deserved.

The man chuckled as if he felt Kara slowly changing. "You will make a great Aecha."

"Aecha?" Kara asked speaking for the first time.

The man's lips curved into an evil smile. "You have so much to learn my dearest, Kara."

Kara stared at the man from behind the shadow of her cloak, pondering the man's words. The two stood staring at each other without words. The man observed Kara and Kara observed the man.

"Do you know who I am, Kara?" He asked.

Kara was quiet for some time and then she answered him. "You are Eran, one of The Four."

Eran continued to smile at Kara, "Very good. As of tomorrow, you are my e'iant. Your training begins now. Clean up the mess you have created."

Kara watched as Eran turned to leave, his broad shoulders were stiff as he carried himself silently out of the Sacrificial Chamber. Suddenly, the room seemed a bit more brighter. The smell of the dead tissue on the altar no longer stung and Kara felt as if one of her burdens had been lifted off of her shoulders. Kara gazed in at the flesh on the table, still amazed she had comitted something so gruesome.

"Aecha," Kara whispered to herself.


	3. CoTN: Chapter 3

On the dirt road that followed the Plith river, a lonely man sat on the back of his grey mare, a single strand of straw jutted out of his tight lipped mouth. He wore a simple white tunic with a brown rope tied around the waist to keep the cloth from billowing out so much. His brown pants had tiny patches where he had doned previous rips. Traveling towards Cenaria City with his hat tipped low, the man sighed as the sight of a single red tulip caught his eye.

He had been traveling for about a week now on his loyal mare. Previously, the stranger had been living on the border of The Freeze and Lodricar, isolated from civilization. Something in the way the wind had changed in the North had prompted the man to return back to his native city. There was something amiss and his blood curdled at whatever it was.

The capital city of Cenaria came into view and a weight fell on the man's shoulders. It was impossible to think that a city could change so quickly. He barely recognized it anymore. The last time he had been in Cenaria City the streets had been lined with an abundance of red tulips. The streets had been swept clean and homes had been restored. Whatever shining city Cenaria had once been no longer existed. The Cenaria city today closely resembled the one that the stranger had grown up in. A multitude of unpleasant memories attacked the stranger and dismay swept among him as the tangible evil inhabiting the city crept towards him.

"New around here?" asked a curious voice.

The stranger snapped his head to the right of his mare and locked eyes with a beautiful blonde girl. She was dressed in a simple peasant's dress with her waves stopping just below her shoulders. A basket sat on her hips filled with white sheets and two red tulips. The stranger felt his stomach dropped as he eyed the basket's contents. Shaking his disgruntled thoughts away, he continued to stare at her with an impassive expression.

"Ok..." she said clearly uncomfortable with the stranger's staring. "Can I help you or anything?"

The man pursed his lips then let them settle back into a straight line. He felt the girl's gaze examining his body and he smirked. He shook his head and asked, "You don't happen to live in the Warrens, do you?"

The girl seemed shocked quite appalled to be asked such a question. Her mouth twitched violently as she attempted to stop her self from mouthing off the man.

"No. Do I look like I would live in such a dreadful place? How dare you try to imply that I belong in such a di- "

The man interrupted the girl's rant, "Stop lying."

The girl's mouth immediately snapped shut and she looked shamefully to the ground. The stranger smirked again. He had caught her lying.

"I'm headed that way. Going to visit some old friends of mine. Would you like a ride there?" he asked her.

She looked at him shyly, "That's very kind of you."

The man shrugged, "It's not a problem. Besides the sun is going down. Probably not the best place for a woman like you to be wandering after sun down."

He outstretched his hand to the girl to help onto his mare. The girl looked at his calloused hand hesitantly, not sure whether or not to take his hand. They remained that way for several moments or so before she took his hand.

"I don't even know your name," she said a few minutes after they had slowly begun to make their way through the city.

The sun was now barely visible over the horizon and the last streaks of light were beginning to give way. One by one the shops began to close and windows began to light up. The streets began to empty and the first star peaked into the night sky. The stranger relaxed as the night began to take place.

"I don't know yours," he countered with a guarded tone.

"Chandra," she stated. "My name's Chandra."

"It's nice to meet you, Chandra," the stranger said politely. "I believe this is where you said you wanted to stop."

Chandra examined her surroundings and realized that they were indeed in the Warrens. The familiar brown door of her family's home stood closed but beckoned for Chandra to come inside. Chandra got of the mare and turned to thank the stranger. But when she turned around the only thing left was the mare without it's owner. Confusion swept through Chandra's eyebrows and she examined the mare closely. A note was fastened on the saddle of the mare.

"She's yours. You need her more than I do."

Chandra re-read the note over and over again, searching for some sort of explanation but she found none. How could a man disappear so quickly and quietly? Chandra looked up and down her street but found herself alone.

"How odd," she said to herself as she tied the mare to a post by her home. "How odd."

-

Around a circular table sat four cloaked men. Each one had their hands folded on their table and their gaze ever trained on the speaking individual. These four were the founders of the Cult. Everyone of them were in their old age but were the strongest and most powerful of all the cult's members. They were wise and clever. No one challenged The Four because it was pure madness to do so. However, their reign was coming soon to a close, and they all knew it.

The four members had come from four different kingdoms. Eran was from Cenaria. Oruz came from Khalidor. Tra'sa from Lodricar and Bernashi from Ceura. After King Logan had been crowned as High King of these four kingdoms, Eran, Oruz, Tra'sa, and Bernashi had created the Cult to honor the Night Angel. But this was almost a century ago. It was time that The Four chose their successors and this was the very reason that today's meeting had been called.

"As you all know, the Cult is quickly approaching it's 100th y-"

"Oh get on with it," Oruz interrupted, irritation etched in his voice.

The other three gazed at Oruz in contempt. Even in his graying age, Oruz was still the same blunt and rude person he had always been. He was always the source of opposition with in the cult. When three voted 'yes' on an issue Oruz dutifully voted 'no'. Eran narrowed his eyes at Oruz from underneath his hood and continued on with what he was saying as if Oruz hadn't spoken.

"-and it is time that we pass on our traditions to the next generation," Eran looked around the table to see if there was any protest to what he had just said. Predictably, there was none. Everyone at the table knew that their time was done. It was time that their power was handed off. _Good,_ Eran thought, allowing himself to smile visibly to the others. "I propose that, instead of all of us choosing four separate e'iants and training them in our ways, we train the four e'iants and them allow the best suited one to be the leader after our time is done."

"Your suggesting that instead of four there is one that leads the cult?" Tra'sa asked curiously, brows knitted together trying to understand what Eran was trying to accomplish.

"Yes, are you suggesting we abandon the old ways?" Bernashi chimed in, siding with Tra'sa as Eran had expected. Bernashi had always taken Tra'sa's side in the past so Eran was prepared for this.

"No, that is not what I am trying to say," Eran countered. "I like to think of it more as an innovation to the structure of the cult."

"How exactly do you plan on choosing which is the best e'iant?" Brenashi asked, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms. "It sounds a bit unfair if you choose the best e'iant."

Eran gave a scoff and replied, "Who do you honestly think I am, Bernashi? Oruz? We let the e'iants prove themselves worthy. We make the e'iants compete with each other in their studies, their prayers, and in battle. When they are all ready, we allow them to battle to the death. The last one standing survives."

"I don't know," Tra'sa said hesitantly. "I'm not entirely sound on this idea."

"I like it! I second Eran's proposal!" Oruz shouted, jumping up in his chair.

The other three men looked at Oruz in shock. _Well this was certainly not expected,_ Eran thought to himself as he studied Oruz's figure. _Better not worry about it now._

"What say you?" Eran asked Bernashi.

Bernashi fidgeted in his chair and looked over at Tra'sa who was still contemplating the proposal in his mind. There would be no satisfaction in having Tra'sa to make the decision for him. Bernashi gave a sigh and acceded to Eran's proposal.

"I will third your proposal," Bernashi reluctantly complied.

Tra'sa stared at Bernashi in shock. He had never expected his friend to give in so easily or so independently. Tra'sa glared at Bernashi.

"What is the meaning of this, Bernashi? Have you no honor in the cult? This proposal is the beginning of the end to Cult. How can you simply give your approval for this? Have you not thought it out?" Tra'sa asked angrily to the man sitting to his right. "This is a ridiculous request. I do not support this proposal."

"You are outruled," Eran stated simply. "If you do not wish to allow your e'iant to compete with ours then so be it."

Anger fumed out of Tra'sa's ears. "This is something I would have expected from Oruz, not you Eran," Tra'sa stated in a harsh whisper. "My e'iant will compete... only because your e'iants will mean the destruction of this cult."

Tra'sa stood up in haste and walked silently out of the room. Anger slowly followed behind him and the other three looked at each other in shock. Eran cleared his throat.

"Is there anything else that needs to be brought to attention?" Eran asked. Everyone shooked their head no and the three left the room.


	4. CoTN: Chapter 4

Kara rolled uneasily in her bed, feeling slightly feverish and dizzy. Her head throbbed with a horrible headache, enough to compete with beating of her heart. The moon beams beaked through her glass window and bounced off her bare back as she shivered from the night's touch. The girl's red hair spilled out gracefully on her pillow and she coughed. Then she coughed again. Pretty soon the girl was engulfed in a fit of coughs that she had to sit up and brace herself from falling onto the ground. Tears welled up in her eyes as she coughed uncontrollably. Her face grew hot as the seconds passed and she was deprived of air.

"Kara," a voice whispered through the darkness of the night.

The girl turned her head, still coughing, and found a shadow standing in the middle of her room. Blue flames engulfed the black shadow as it drew a blad out of its sheath. Kara's eyes grew wide as she tried to speak inbetween her fits of coughing.

"Ni...t...An..g-"

The shadow slid its sword into Kara's breasts as if it were made of water. Kara abruptly stopped coughing and gasped as her eyes trailed to the sword piercing her chest. The shadow never removed its eyes off of the girl, all the while it kept an impassive expression on what was supposed to be it's face. It pulled the blad out slowly and stabbed the girl again. And again. And again.

Kara tried to scream but the blood curdling in the back of her throat prevented her from it. She shut her eyes in anguish as her body was ripped open by Judgement. Was this punishment for her sins? Wasn't it the way of the Cult to administer Justice? She had done no wrong.

"Kara," it called to her, "open your eyes."

Kara's eyes shot open into the bright sunlight that filled her room. She was in her bed completely unharmed. The girl sat up straight to observe her surroundings, allowing her blanket to fall and reveal her naked breasts. There was a figure in her room but it was not the Night Angel, it was Eran.

"It was a... dream?" Kara asked in shock, forgetting to cover herself in front of her Master.

The old man smirked at his e'iant and replied, "Yes, it was."

Kara stared at her Master uncomprehendingly, "But it was... It felt... It felt so real."

Eran didn't answer her right away. He studied Kara in muted awe, admiring her figure, face, and her obliviousness. _Youth, beauty, and power... This is exactly what the cult needs,_ Eran thought to himself.

"Today, is your first day on the path of becoming Aecha," Eran said letting the word 'Aecha' linger on his lips. "You will meet the other three that you will be competing with for the title. Your task is to find out their weakness."

Kara frownedl; it was an easier task said than done. "All in one day?"

"Yes," Eran said before turning to leave Kara's room, "it must be finished today or else you will recieve punishment."

Kara cringed at the thought of being punished by a ninety-something year old man, especially one like Eran. The girl watched as her Master began to disappear beyoned her bedroom's door. He stopped suddenly and poked his head through the door.

"Oh and Kara?" He said with a tone of smugness laced through his voice. "Put a robe on."

Kara frowned and looked down at her body. She gasped and reached for a blanket to hid her nakeness. Embarassment made its way onto Kara's pale cheeks and stayed there until her Master left. The girl was absolutely moritfied.

-

It wasn't like he had remembered as a child yet it was still the same. The Warrens smelled differently than before but it was still the home to deceit and grief. That was something that would never change.

The stranger sat at the empty bar and downed the last of the alcohol in his shot glass. It was late - or really early in the morning if you please - and there were still things that the man had to attend to. Things that he didn't, shouldn't, but had to deal with. But the memories had pounced on him so forcefully that he had needed a drink or two - actually seventeen. The man snorted at the irony of his tale when someone tapped his shoulder. The stranger turned around slowly and came face to face with a tall man.

"Hey bozo," he said with irritated glare. "Time to leave, you've been sitting there for three hours."

The stranger observed the man and then stared back at the empty shot glass in his hand. He could use a few more drinks but it he had wasted enough time just sitting in a spot that once belonged to another legend of another tale. The stranger sighed.

"You wouldn't happen to know how I could contact the Sa'kage, do you?" he asked the burly man.

"You better watch your mouth, kid. Asking questions like that is like asking for your death sentence," the man said with cautiousness laced throughout his voice. "But if you want to contact the Sa'kage, I suggest speaking to Madame Selene of the Red Dragon. Word is that she has contacts within the Sa'kage."

_The Red Dragon?_ thought the stranger. _I thought that the Red Dragon went out of business the day King Gyre was crowned High King. So much for that._

"Thanks," he said turning away from the bar's owner.

The burly man watched as the man in the peasant's tunic left the bar on two steady feet.

"Funny," the man said to himself, "You'd think a skinny guy like him would barely manage to get off his stool without eating the dirty floor yet there he goes strutting out the door without a care in the world. Thirty drinks and the guy can still walk straight. What a wonder."

-

"Oh come on, Erlot," a teenage boy complained as one of the other boys snatched a book from his hands. "Give it back here. I've got to read twenty-six chapters by tonight or Master Tra'sa will have my head."

"Tra'sa has you do stupid stuff, like reading, Oruz trains me in the _useful_ skills like fighting. You'll never be good enough to be on The Four when we ascend to power, Dayne," Erlot stated as he threw the brown leather bound book into Dayne's lap.

Dayne has wispy blonde hair that he let grow past his ears and blue eyes that were like mirrors of the skies. His parents had both been members of the cult at one point. They died when Dayne was very young, maybe about three or four years of age. The poor kid didn't have any memories of them. Many of the older members told him that they were one of the most loyal in the Cult. It was unfortunate that they had died. Shortly after being orphaned, Tra'sa named Dayne as his e'iant and for almost twelve years Dayne trained under Tra'sa. Dayne was dressed in the same cloak as the other members of the cult, except that his cloak was midnight blue not black. Dayne had his hood down, as he normally did whenever the three e'iants were sitting in the meeting room assigned to them.

"I doubt that The Four has to fight hand to hand every single day, Erlot," Collin, Bernashi's e'iant, piped in from another corner of the room.

Collin was a brown headed boy with no significant facial distinguisments other than his short nose and brown eyes. His hood was also down and rested against the deep violet cloak he wore. Like Dayne, Collin had no living parents left, due to unforseen circumstances, and then claimed as Bernashi's e'iant around the same age Dayne had been claimed.

"Whatever," Erlot said as he pulled down his dark green cloak's hood. A face of disgust came on his face as he seated himself at the table in the middle of the room. "This is stupid. We've been training under these old geezers and we still haven't replaced them. I think we should complain."

Collin rolled his eyes, "Well maybe it has to do with the fact that Eran's still haven't chosen an e'iant."

"Eran's got an e'iant," Dayne replied, rubbing his chin. "Word has it that he named his e'iant at the Sacrifice two days ago."

"What really?" Erlot asked intrigued.

Dayne nodded, "Yep. My Master also told me that there's a possibility that only one of us will ascend to lead the Cult. That we're going to have to compete against each other."

"That's stupid," Erlot grunted. "Because obviously that's going to be me."

"Isn't that unfair for Eran's e'iant? He's going to be less prepared for the competition if Eran's waited so long to finally train someone," Collin asked, ignoring Erlot's arrogant remarks.

Dayne nodded in agreement, "Yes, it would be unfair for Eran's e'iant. But he must have _some_ sort of reason for putting it off until the end of their reign. Poor bastard. He'd never have a chance to compete with us. I always thought Eran was a but loopy. I can't imagine what his e'iant must be thinking. He must be scared out of his mind to know he's competing against the likes of us."

"Excuse me," a soft voice interrupted from the doorway where a light knock also resonated from.

The three boys turned to see a small petite figure under a typical black cloak standing at the doorway. Silence followed shortly after the figure announced its presence in the room. Dayne was the first to find his voice.

"This room is restricted to regular members, much less women," Dayne said with a type of authority in his voice and a hint of condescending disapproval.

"I'm sorry," the girl's lips moved from underneath the hood that covered her eyes, "but Master Eran directed me here."

"For what? Our amusement?" Erlot asked with no intonation of good humour.

"No," she stated, "Is this not the e'iants' meeting room?"

"Yes," Collin answered, "E'iants' meeting room meaning e'iants only."

"Then I'm in the right place," she stated. "I am Eran's e'iant, Kara."

Kara pulled off of her black hood and let her hair fall out gracefully. Her hazel eyes studied the three boys before her - all her age. Likewise, they observed her as well - more in shock than she expected. All three gazed at the girl in wonder, shock, and awe. The three looked at each other and Dayne spoke again.

"There has to be a mistake," Dayne said with furrowed brows. "Eran could not have possibly chosen you. You've barely been initiated, much less, you're a girl!"

Kara frowned, "He chose me."

"We've been training as e'iants all our lives Kara. I bet you can barely name all the holy days of the Cult," Collin said crossing his arms.

"Plus you bleed even when you're not cut. How can you compete in battle with _us_," Erot added.

Kara cleared her throat and kept her ground, "Eran chose me."

Erlot snorted and rolled his eyes. Collin stifled laughter and turned around as in attempt not to insult the girl. Dayne just stared at her.

"Well," Dayne said hesitantly, "Don't say we didn't warn you. Don't think we're going to go easy on you just cause you're _female_. If anything, we'll probably go harder."

Erlot burst out in laughter, "Atta man, Dayne!"

Dayne immediately turned red, "Wha-? No! That's not what I- Stop laughing! I didn- Erlot! Collin! Stop it! Kara I was not insinuating that we- I'm sorry, please don't take that out of context."

Erlot nudged Collin, "So much for going hard on her."

Kara just stood there, soaking in what was happening around her. Could it really be _that_ simply? Eran must have known all along. He must have known that Kara would pick up on it. The thought almost made Kara want to smile. But she squashed that. To do so would give herself away to the three boys. Kara shook her head. The three boys all had the same flaw: They all underestimated her.

-

RED DRAGON : OPEN FROM SUNSET TO DAWN  
The stranger stared at the building. It looked almost exactly like it had nearly a century ago. A weight seemed to sit on his shoulders as he remembered the many times he had been in this very brothel. Reluctantly, he reached for the knob and entered the building.

The lounge was still the same lush red tones all purposefully crafted so that men were aroused by the very scene of the room. At the bar were a few men, surrounded by two or three women. The rooms upstairs were mostly closed, meaning that right now was the busy hour. Two women strode up to the newcomer with huge smiles on their faces.

"Hey good looking," the one with blonde braids greeted. "First time at the Red Dragon?"

"I'm looking for Madame Selene," he stated, ignoring the weird expressions forming on the girls' faces.

"Oh, uhm, I'm sorry, sir," she said at loss for words. "I didn't recognize you. Yes, Madame has been waiting for you. If you just follow me."

The man stared at the back of the women's head confused. He had been expected? How was that possible? He had not been in Cenaria in almost a century and here someone was expecting him? Who in the world was still alive to be expecting _him_ of all people? Who exactly was this Madame Selene? He shrugged the thoughts away and followed the women to the end of a hallway. She looked at him as if he were some sort of idol as she held the door open for him.

"Thank you," she said quietly as she closed the door behind him. He frowned at the door and then faced the desk in the middle of the room. The chair was turned away but he could feel the presence of someone great sitting in its leather.

"It's been along time. We've been waiting for you, Kylar," the person in the chair stated as it turned around to face him.

"How do you kn- Uly?!" Kylar asked in shock.

The woman looked about to be in her mid-thirities but her looks were undoubtly inherited from Momma K and Durzo Blint. She frowned at Kylar.

"Uly? Ulyssandra? That was the name of my grandmother," she said in confusion, "I am Madame Selene. Mistress of Pleasures."

Kylar rolled eyes, "Decided to stay in the family business, huh?"

"If you're imply a reference to Kierna, I'd agree but if you're implying that my grandmother and mother took after her then you are horribly mistaken. But that is a story for another day."

Kylar couldn't believe it. Here he was, talking to a descendant of Momma K. A descendant that looked almost exactly like her daughter and was in the same position as she. It was like a horrible dose of deja vu... and for some reason Kylar was beginning to feel like his place in the scheme of things hadn't change.

"You're whores said that you were expecting me? How do you even know who I am?" Kylar asked.

Madame Selene sneered at his words but ignored them, "My mother told me stories about how Cenaria was saved by a guardian close to the family. She told me that when things went bad, I could expect you to find me."

_Great,_ Kylar thought. _I always had a knack for bad timing._

"Don't tell me you're the Speaker for the Sa'kage as well," Kylar said irritation in his voice. It seemed as if the bad days of the Warrens never left, only postponed.

Madame Selene sat and stared at Kylar in silence. He frowned at her.

"Well?" he asked, expectantly.

"You said not to tell you," Madame Selene replied.

Kylar gave a sigh, "You're Speaker for the Sa'kage... which means you and I are probably going to get to know each other really well over the next few years or so."

Madame Selene smiled knowingly at Kylar and motioned to a chair, "Make yourself comfortable."


	5. CoTN: Chapter 5

The midnight wind was especially fierce for that particular evening. It seemed to pull and tear at everyone and everything on the streets of Cenaria. The wind howled and cursed at the random person walking along the empty streets illuminated by the blue moon that cast its sad rays amongst the city's buildings. The buildings loomed towards the sky ever higher that night, casting shadow figures that made innocent midnight strollers jump at their own imagination. It was a considerably eerie night.

One night walker in particular braved the night and all its supernatural entities with a sort of bravado. It was a girl with a large cap resembling a beret (only considerably larger) that engulfed a great majority of her blonde waves. A ragged gray scarf encircled the bottom half of her face and her neck, exposing her blue eyes to the angry wind. She clutched on tighter to herself and the large gray overcoat that served as a barrier between the night's forces and her. Her soft shoes scrunched noisily against the irregular cobblestone road until finally, she reached her destination.

Chandra quickly opened the door to the building and jumped inside, worrying that the night would follow her inside. The girl inhaled deeply and smiled as her eyes fell upon loyal patrons of the brothel. A few smiled back at the girl and one waved.

"Hey, Jim," Chandra greeted as she pulled off her coat and scarf. She hung her belongings inside a closet for employees and began to dart towards the customer. Before she had left the entry way, Chandra was stopped dead in her tracks. The man from earlier stood no less than a few feet away and he was looking straight at her. He began to make his way over towards Chandra. No words made their way to Chandra's mind, much less her mouth, as the familiar stranger grew ever closer. Right as they were face to face, the stranger walked right pass her towards the door.

"I didn't expect a person like you to be in a place like this," Chandra said quickly, turning around to see the stranger had stopped with his hand on the door. His entire figure took up the entire doorway. Earlier, Chandra hadn't noticed exactly how intimidating her stranger was.

"I didn't expect a person like you to work in a place like this," he replied simply before walking out the door.

Chandra stared shocked as the door closed behind him.

"I see you met him already," Laura, one of Chandra's co-workers, stated.

"Who was that?" Chandra asked.

"That was Kylar Stern."

-

Kylar repetitively clenched and unclenched his fists as he recalled his experience with Madame Selene. It was just like the Sa'kage back then. The Sa'kage never changed. But that wasn't why Kylar was so upset. There were many things that made him upset and seeing Chandra there had just been the cherry on top. Kylar mentally slapped himself; he had more important things to worry about than what some girl did for a living.

_"You're kidding," Kylar accused with a disbelieving and astonished look on his face. His mouth had practically created a whole in the floor when it had dropped. He had almost fallen out of his seat. This was borderline absurd and insane. It made Kylar want to laugh in amusement and scoff in disdain._

_"No, what I tell you is one hundred percent true. Our scouts and spies-"_

_"Those are the same thing," Kylar interrupted._

_"-have confirmed the rumors. Not to mention the steady decline in business for the past few years, this is a very true piece of information. The sources are reliable and my financial books can show you how much this has affected us in the pass few decades. We've been hit especially hard in the past few months by this... organization."_

_"Let me get this straight," Kylar said shaking his head and folding his arms in contemplation. "There's an organization - a cult - that has devoted itself in worshiping the Night Angel? In worshiping me?"_

_"Yes."_

_"And you say they're 'delivering justice' by kidnapping criminals and persecuting them by torturous means..."_

_"Verbatim."_

_Kylar blinked at Madame Selene, suppressing the need to laugh. It was the most preposterous thing he had ever heard. But Madame Selene was as serious as can be. There was a problem and it needed to be fixed. _

_"I don't see this as my problem," Kylar replied._

_"They're not just kidnapping criminals. Quite recently, they've begun kidnapping innocents as well. They've been growing steadily and their numbers are quite alarming. I'm sure that you can see why we're in dire need of your help," Madame Selene replied, folding her hands on her large oak desk._

_"It's unlike the Sa'kage to do such a selfless act for the sake of the People," Kylar replied. "I'm assuming you're doing this to keep your business alive."_

_Madame Selene just stared at Kylar._

_"Well, don't hurt yourself in answering my question," Kylar grumbled._

_"You stated the question. You didn't ask it. Are you going to help us or not?"_

_"I'll help... but not for you or your business. I'm doing this to protect Cenaria."_

_"You're nobleness precedes you, Kylar."_

_"So it does. So it does."_

_-_

A tall gray building loomed upwards towards the sky; it was called Sivasi, the stronghold of the Cult's infrastructure. Made entirely out of marble, the ten story building housed all of the devotees of the Night and held all sacrifices in its dungeons. It was windowless and the only way in or out was through the large entrance in the front of Sivasi that yawned like a sleeping giant. There were no doors to cover the entrance which was guarded by the Cult's members night and day, never moving nor sleeping unless shifts were being changed.

A court yard with several green trees, a garden, and a fountain sat in the middle of Sivasi and it was in the courtyard that the Four e'iants sat. The sky was gray and what little sun that broke through the clouds fell on the fountain where Kara sat with her black hood down and her nose stuck in a book. Her red hair seemed to light up when the small rays of sun weaved through it.

Dayne sat a on the fountain a few feet away from the girl reading his own book assigned by Tra'sa. Collin and Erlot likewise were reading material given by their respective Masters. It had been a quiet day so far and no one had spoken for quite some time. Collin was the first to break the silence.

"I can't believe the Night Angel beat Lantano Garuwashi," Collin blurted out from his perch in a fruit tree.

Dayne closed his book and sighed in relief, the silence was finally broken. Dayne mentally thanked Collin for lifting the blanket of silence. "Why?" Dayne asked Collin. "The Night Angel had many more centuries of experience than Lantano. He should have known better before challenging the Night Angel."

Erlot scoffed, "Lantano was just a fool wanting to prove himself. All Lae'knaught sword masters are fools. How about you; what do you think, Kara?"

Erlot grinned maliciously at the girl, as if a rabbit was about to jump out from under his robe any second. Kara lifted her face out of the textbook she was currently engrossed in, startled that Erlot had even addressed her at all. Erlot's green eyes reflected the few rays of sun rebelling through the clouds in the sky.

"I-I, uh, well..." Kara stopped and gathered her thoughts, "The Night Angel is immortal he could never be defeated."

The three boys stared at Kara in contemplation. It wasn't really answer they had been expecting but it was an answer no less. Erlot rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to speak but Collin beat him to the punch.

"One day I will meet the Night Angel and fight with him in the battle against evil," Collin stated dreamily, letting his eyes cloud as he pictured the day in his head.

Erlot snorted and laughed comically, "You Collin? You couldn't beat me in a duel; how could you battle against evil that the Night Angel goes up against?"

"I could beat you in a sword duel," Collin retorted angrily, narrowing his eyes at Erlot's insult.

"Could not."

"I could so!"

"Prove it," Erlot demanded, unsheathing his sword from his belt.

Collin looked uneasily at Erlot as the green cloaked e'iant took a stance. He glanced over at Dayne who was shaking his head in disbelief and Kara stared blankly at the scene unfolding before them. Collin jumped down from his tree and drew his sword; a determined look took over Collin's face.

"Fine," Collin said meeting his sword with Erlot's.

Erlot smirked side stepped to his right; Collin mimicked Erlot's footwork, moving to the left while keeping his gaze fierce and stance ready. In a matter of seconds, it was a fury of metal against metal clanging and ricocheting against each other. Erlot lunged forward with his sword towards Collin's body as the boy quickly evaded the attack and raised his own blade at Erlot's back.

The blade met nothing by the stone ground as Erlot used his momentum and rolled into a ball, assuming a stance lower to the ground. His smile ever gleaming and taunting at Collin. Aggravated, Collin spun around with his blade hoping for some sort of contact, slashing hopelessly at air as Erlot moved yet again. Collin spun around in time to block Erlot's attack. Another came quickly after the first. Then another. Erlot stabbed at Collin's middle which the boy barely escaped by standing on his toes and sucking his stomach in.

Collin glared angrily at Erlot who was laughing a few feet away.

"Honestly," Erlot taunted, "What in the world is Bernashi teaching you? You fight like a girl."

Collin charged at Erlot yelling and slashing in rage. Erlot crouched low. At the right moment, Erlot grabbed a handful of dirt from the garden he was squatting in and threw it into Collin's eyes. Caught off guard, Collin yelped in shock and fell to the ground as Erlot swept his legs underneath Collin's.

Erlot placed a sword at Collin's throat, "Told you so."

"That wasn't fair, Erlot," Dayne interjected.

Erlot kept his sword at Collin's throat but turned to face Dayne, "Oh shut up, Dayne. Just like my Master Oruz says, 'The only fair fight is an unfair one'."

"Your master is incompetent," Dayne muttered to himself while rolling his eyes at Erlot.

"What did you say?" Erlot demanded with anger rising in his voice. He removed his sword from Collin's throat and faced Dayne full on. Collin got up on his two feet and sauntered over to a nearby tree, attempting to avoid Erlot's angry backlash.

"Obviously your vocabulary is as admirable as your skills in battle."

Kara shook her head dismally, returning back to her text book. If there was one thing she had learned about the three other e'iants in the few days she had been in their company, it was that they liked to compete and insult each other. Kara tied her hair into a pony tail and pursed her lips as Erlot responded to Dayne's insults.

"I know what incompetent means! I'm not some feeble female," Erlot accused, obviously directing his comment to bother Dayne and Kara.

Everyone went quiet. The three boys turned their attention to Kara. The girl froze in her spot, staring blankly at the words on the pages of her book. A deep part of her hurt from Erlot's words but another part of her felt the need to put Erlot back in his place, whatever that was. Slowly, Kara felt the insult bury itself inside of her and cultivate an already growing dislike for Erlot.

"That was uncalled for," Dayne said in Kara's defense, interrupting the awkward silence Erlot's comment has imposed.

But Erlot was already ready with his next insult, "She doesn't a demented book-slinger to speak up for her. She's an e'iant therefore she should fight her own battles."

"Book-slinger?!" Dayne cried out angrily as he stood to his feet.

"Isn't that right, Karaboo?" Erlot continued, ignoring Dayne. "You don't need some book wielding idiot to fight your battles. Isn't that right?"

Dayne clenched his fists, "Now listen here, Erlot. You leave Ka-"

"Shut up, Dayne," Kara said suddenly.

Silence again made itself comfortable in the air that the four e'iants shared. The boys stared at the one girl in shock, not daring to say anything. A few moments later, Erlot burst into laughter.

"Told you so," Erlot taunted Dayne. "She is pretty mouthy, isn't she? Bet you couldn't take her in a fight, Dayne."

Dayne rolled his eyes. If there was one thing he would not do, it would be to hit a girl. It was against his principles. Sure, Kara was an e'iant but Dayne didn't fight unless he absolutely had to or was challenged. Erlot was just trying to irritate him. Sadly, he was winning.

"Oh come on, Erlot," Dayne started.

"Yes. Let's do it," Kara declared as she stood up and placed her textbook on the edge of the fountain.

Dayne sighed and watched as Kara walked to her spot across from him. He gazed upon the girl reluctant to fight her. Kara's face was impassive and expressionless; it made Dayne wonder what exactly Kara was thinking. She was a completely mystery to him.

"Kara, are you su-"

Before Dayne could finish his sentence Kara threw a punch to the right side of his head. Dayne quickly leaned to his left and caught her fist with his left hand. A determined look had come across Kara's face. Dayne held her fist in the air, about to throw her over his shoulder when he suddenly decided against it. He hesitated for a moment too long; a moment long enough for Kara to kick Dayne's body with her right leg.

The sudden impact surprised Dayne and threw him off balance, sending him careening towards a tree. He quickly caught himself before colliding with Collin. Dayne shook his head, trying to get himself to focus as Kara started to run towards him.

_Come on,_ Dayne beckoned Kara mentally._ Just a bit closer… _

Just as Kara jumped to send a flying round house kick at Dayne's head, he caught her foot and used her momentum to send her flying into the fountain. The girl gasped in surprise as her heavy cloak dragged her weight down and her hair stuck to the side of her face. The girl frowned and trudge towards the edge of the fountain.

Dayne walked over to the edge to help the girl out, "Kara, are you o-"

Miraculously, Kara managed to jump out of the fountain (with all the added weight) and pounced onto Dayne, straddling him on the ground and throwing punches at his head. The first two were easy to dodge but soon Dayne faced an unending cycle of blows to the head.

Kara was caught suddenly off guard when Dayne rolled Kara over and switched their positions. He planted his hands on her wrists, inhibiting her from punching him.

"Haha, well, I stand corrected," Erlot said after Dayne had pinned her to the ground. "You are a feeble female after all."

Dayne let go of Kara's hands and watched as Erlot left the courtyard laughingly. The boy shook his head as his fellow e'iant left then offered his hand to Kara who lay defeated on the stone ground. Kara gazed at the hand.

"Just take it Kara," Collin advised.

The girl took Dayne's hand.

"I could help you, if you wanted," Dayne offered, referring to here fighting.

Kara brushed off some dirt from her cloak. It was a fruitless attempt since her wet cloak sucked in every little small grain of dirt into it. She sighed and gathered her book by the fountain.

"Thanks," Kara said, walking past Dayne towards the exit, "But that's what I have a Master for."

Dayne watched as the red haired girl left Collin and him alone in the garden. The boy in the midnight blue cloak sighed, ruffling his blonde hair with one hand and resting the other on the hip.

"You went easy on her," Collin stated, as he emerged from underneath the fruit tree he had been watching the fight from.

"She's a female," Dayne replied.

The sky turned gray and the sun's rays were no longer present. Then it started to rain.

**A/N: **It's really long. I'm really sorry. I have this thing where I dislike writing horrendously long chapters. Sorry if it bored you or if the fight scenes were not up to par. I have the basically the whole series outlined so to me this chapter seems boring. XD, spoiler? Haha. Anyways, thanks for reading


	6. CoTN: Chapter 6

After changing out of her wet robes, Kara Tythe made her way out of the west wing dormitories where her room was located and headed towards the library on the third floor of Sivasi's main building. The halls of Sivasi were eerily quiet and empty, making Kara feel uncomfortably aware of how alone she was at the moment. The gray marble wall and floors serve as a docile reminder of how cold the world was to her. It was in these walls Kara found meaning to her life. Serving the Cult to the best of her ability was all Kara could find truth in. The world was a cruel place and Kara's childhood was a plain example of that.

There wasn't much that the girl remembered from her past prior to her joining the Cult a few weeks ago. Kara had been abandoned as a baby by her parents, whoever they were. This was a story shared amongst the four e'iants, a common bond, a common tragedy. None of the four had any known living relatives alive nor did they remember having any as a child.

As a child, Kara grew up in the Warrens district of Cenaria City. It had still resembled the Warrens that had grown out of the Great Battle, when Khali had been defeated. But as the decades rolled by, the Warrens – and Cenaria City in general – slowly reverted back to its original state when King Gunder had notoriously ruled Cenaria. Kara had managed to skimp by her early years by the kindness of sympathetic citizens. Every day Kara battled it out with the growing population of orphaned kids for the scraps that were thrown out by shop keepers. It wasn't until Kara realized the unfair circumstances of her life that she sought out the Cult.

Kara turned the corner of the hallway and began to ascend the spiraling staircase.

Somehow, somewhere, Kara had overhead some people speaking about an organization that sought out wrong and delivered justice where do. A few years later, Kara found herself at the steps of Sivasi; almost immediately Kara had been initiated. What normally was a three month process of initiation was only two days for Kara. It wasn't until her first sacrifice had she found out why.

The third level of Sivasi was more ornate than the first and second which housed sacrificial chambers and training areas respectively. A deep red rug lined the hallways and dimly lit torches hung on the walls, saluting those who were privileged enough to walk its halls. Kara's footsteps echoed through the again empty walls as she wondered where all the Hands were. Usually, the third floor was vibrating with the busy bodies of the Hands.

Kara reached the threshold of the library. The room held more torches and lamps illuminate the immense room. Since Sivasi held no windows, the members were cast into a perpetual darkness. The only rooms with the most torches were the large sacrificial chamber, meant to fit the entire Cult, and the library where eyes strained to read the Cult's books by dim light.

Books lined the room from floor to ceiling. An additional dozen or two of wooden bookshelves had been added to the room to house some of the new additions the Cult's collection. In the center of the room Eran sat at one of the six tables with a pile of books to his left and a small one in hand. Kara quickly walked over to Eran's table and sat across from him without so much as a sound.

Eran pushed a book towards Kara without ever lifting his eyes from the book he was engrossed in. Kara gazed at the thick leather bound book in front of her, dutifully titled _A History of Sivasi_. This was the fifth book in a week that Eran had instructed Kara to read. It was an arduous and meticulous task but Eran declared it had to be done because Kara was behind in comparison to the other e'iants.

_You'll have no problem when battling them with a sword, of that I'm sure, _he had said,_ but it is in brains that I'm worried about. Before you can defeat your competitor you have to know him. You have to know all. Deception is the tool, Kara. They believe they can defeat you because you are a girl when actually it is because you are a girl that they cannot defeat you._

But how could Kara believe that her Master's words were true? Today's petty battle had been a testament to the fact that because Kara was weaker that the boys she had no chance in competing with them for the title of Aecha. Why didn't Eran see this? Why did he believe in her so much when she could barely believe in herself?

"Dayne defeated me," Kara stated lacking emotion in her voice. She stared at the large text book in front of her and began to leaf through the pages, thoroughly exhausted from her mental self-evaluation.

"I know," Eran replied, flipping the page in his book.

Kara sighed, "You know?"

"I saw."

Kara was struck silent by her Master's words but not because she hadn't expected his reply but because she _had_ expected his reply. Of course he knew, Eran always knew. Eran knew everything. Shamed, Kara began to read the book Eran had tossed to her. The clearing of a throat interrupted the silence a few moments later and Eran began to lecture his e'iant.

"You will become better in time. Do you remember what I told you the other day?" Eran raised his eyebrows at the girl expectantly. How could Kara forget? She feared to forget anything Eran said because he had such great things to say; without them Kara probably had no chance in even competing with the boys to be Aecha.

Kara nodded her head, "'Underestimating your enemies will inhibit you from success.' But the other e'iants are not my enemies. We're all in the same boat. We all want to lead the Cult."

Eran chuckled at his e'iant's naivety. Sometimes Kara could be so innocent. She always wanted to do what was right and just. She always wanted to please which Eran believed would be good for the future of the Cult. The exact reason why there was only the need for one Cult leader, not four.

"Ah, that, my dearest Kara, is where you are wrong. All four of you are in fact enemies because the four of you represent four different futures for the Cult. The stakes are high in this competition and if you lose, well, then the Cult loses."

Kara blinked at Eran's words. As much as she wanted to do what was best for the Cult, how was Eran so sure the _she_ of all people was what was best for the Cult? Was Eran implying that the Cult would suffer at the hands of another e'iants? Kara didn't want to fight her own fellow Cult members, she wanted to fight injustice.

"I don't want to be Aecha. I just want to serve the Cult and above all the Night Angel," Kara stated simply.

"Which is why you will be a good Aecha," Eran replied with smile, ignoring her first sentence. "You always put the Cult first before personal ambitions. The Cult will prosper under you."

"I don't get it…" Kara replied with her eyebrows furrowing.

"In time Kara… in time… Now, let us join the others in the Grand Sacrificial Chamber," Eran said standing up from his chair. "I'm sure everyone will be seated and ready by now."

"What's happening in the Chamber?" Kara asked.

"Several of the Stoffs have captured a band of four marauders that have been plaguing Khalidor. Tonight we offer the weekly sacrifice with not just one criminal but four. Fancy that, one for each of the e'iants."

"Master?"

"The e'iants will be leading this sacrifice."

-

The Grand Sacrificial Chamber, commonly referred to as the Chamber, was the largest among the several other sacrificial chambers. Only when there was a sacrifice that required the entire Cult's attendance was the chamber utilized. The other smaller sacrificial chambers were used for weekly and/or personal sacrifices.

Dayne gazed about the Chamber from upraised altar where he, Collin, and Oruz were standing. The room was just a mass of black cloaks hurrying to and fro like an army of black ants. Some of the Hands were directing confused Bloods to the proper seats all the while others presided their group of Bloods. It was a wonder to Dayne that the complicated structure of the Cult powered the whole organization into action. It was Cult sacrifices like these that Dayne understood the burden of his position and how many Cult members looked up to him.

A Hand, Kien Heyr, approached Dayne, bowing his head in respect to Dayne's authority. Dayne acknowledge him, "Yes, Kien Heyr?"

"Several other Hands are unsure of the whereabouts of Master Eran and E'iant Kara. Another Hand, Kien Gie, has offered to send some of her Bloods to fetch the two so we can begin the sacrifice promptly."

Dayne stared at the Hand in shock, "I will address this to Master Tr-"

Two figures filled up the entrances at the back of the Chamber. The entire room grew silent as they made their way towards the altar. Dayne blinked and gazed back at the Hand.

"Return to your Bloods," Dayne ordered irritably. As much as the Hands were helpful they were also quite annoying. They seemed to pride themselves in the fact they had authority over the Bloods. It wasn't easy for someone to become a Hand which was why there were only a handful of them. The Cult didn't have many levels authority which is why the Four and the E'iants relied heavily on the Hands to act as relays between higher authority and regular members.

Dayne strolled over to edge of the altar's platform and stuck a hand out to Kara to help her up. This time she ignored it and took her place on stage. Dayne twitched in annoyance, "Kara, just stop with your act. Ok? It's ok to need help."

"I don't need help."

"Kara, just because you skipped the from being a Blood and Hand doesn't mean you're better than all of us. You're just lucky."

"I don't think I'm better than anyone, Dayne," Kara turned her head to glare at Dayne. "Can we start this before the Lesser Bloods die from anticipation and the Stoff Bloods get violent? They outnumber the Hands four to one."

Kara turned back to face the Cult members who were talking amongst themselves. Collin and Erlot were on her right, gazing out at the sea of the Cult as well. It was easy to tell the Cult members apart from each other. The Lesser Bloods were passive and devoted themselves entirely to worship and prayer. The Stoff Bloods were more aggressive and trained on the second floor. The fought in the name of the Night Angel whenever the need arose, which wasn't often. The Stoff Bloods prayed and worshiped like their Lesser counterparts but were the ones who committed the sacrifies. The Hands was a handpicked group, consisting of only a dozen members. Stoff Bloods who had displayed leadership qualities became Hands which meant they were the Four's, and now the E'iants', servants.

"Stupid girl," Dayne muttered to himself as he summoned six Stoff Bloods. "Grab the marauders and put them in the altar's chains."

The six burly men nodded and disappeared through a side door.

"Quiet down!" Kara called out into the Chamber when Dayne took his place a few feet from Kara, facing the Cult. The Cult refused to be silence, not hearing Kara's small voice. A whistle rang out through the chamber and silence immediately ensued. Kara glared at Dayne who shrugged then looked out to the Cult again.

"Today we come together and join in a great sacrifice to the Night Angel," Kara announced. "The Khalidorian marauders have been caught and today, justice will be delivered."

A bang sounded throughout the room causing everyone to turn their heads towards the side room. Two Stoffs held a flailing man by the arms and carried him into the Chamber. The man howled and screamed obscenities, cursing the Stoffs, cursing the Cult, and cursing the Night Angel. Following him came the three other marauders, each with two Stoffs by their side. All of them screamed and shouted as they were chained in front of the four e'iants.

Kara narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her. She read his sins off his back like the Night Angel would. He must be punished for his sins.

"These four men," Erlot announced, "have committed unspeakable crimes against the innocent and noble citizens of Khalidor."

"Tonight, we repay those victims with their blood," added Collin.

"Tonight, we give justice," Dayne continued.

"In the name of the Night Angel," Kara said in a whisper, but everyone heard it. Everyone clapped and cheered for the four E'iants.

"Fuck you and your baloney religion!" the man chained in front of Kara screamed out at the Cult. The entire room grew silent. "You guys are nothing but murderous cowards! At least we have the dece-"

The man's voice turned into a gurgle and soon everyone found out why. Blood flowed and spurted freely from the man's throat. Everyone returned their attention to Kara who was holding a bloodied knife in her hand and a disgusted look on her face.

"Blasphemy," Kara whispered. She raised her knife and stabbed the man in the back, wrenching it down and creating a larger slit, then pulling it out. Blood splattered against her face and robe.

Taking her cue, the other three e'iants began their sacrifice to the Night Angel. The Cult members began to chant the Night Angel's prayer, closing their eyes and pressing their palms together. The strangled cries of the naked marauders pierced the holy atmosphere as the e'iants dismembered and disfigured them.

_This is for the innocent victims_, Kara's mind screamed as she ripped the man's arm off.

_This is for the Cult_, Kara thought viciously as tore open the man's torso, allowing his guts to spill on the altar floor.

_And this is for the Night Angel_. The man's heart was torn out by the driven girl and tossed carelessly on the floor of the altar.

Kara stepped back from her sacrifice, aware of how messy hers was in comparison with her fellow e'iants. The praying had finally stopped and the Cult members gazed upon the four sacrifices, satisfied by the work of the e'iants. Kara had been the first one to start and the last one to end amongst the four. She was also the dirtiest, covered with all sorts of bodily fluids not belonging to her.

A heap of flesh and crimson blood lay before Kara as she struggled to breathe evenly. Her anger had taken over her and rendered her helpless to its power. Her eyes, once wild with fury, slowly began to recede back to their normal size along with it her mind and reason. Kara turned to Dayne who was looking out at the Cult, considerably calmer and composed than she. Collin and Erlot also seemed to be in a tame manner.

Kara sighed in relief as Collin concluded the sacrifice, "Go in peace in the name of the Night Angel."

The room slowly began to empty out, and Kara threw her knife into the heap of human flesh. She closed her eyes and shook her head as she asked the Night Angel to have mercy on the blinded fool she had just offered to him. Kara opened her eyes and realized that Dayne, Collin, and Erlot were staring at her in shock.

Kara flinched underneath their stares and rushed out of the hall with the three staring after her.

"I've never seen someone so… out of control," Collin stated.

"Yeah, it's sort of strange that Kara is capable of this," Dayne replied staring at Kara's sacrifice. He grimaced before speaking again, "Did you see how angry she looked when he insulted the Cult?"

"Yeah," Collin replied, "It's a wonder why she didn't do the same to Erlot this afternoon when he was insulting her."

Erlot scoffed, "These guys were tied down giving her a better advantage. I bet you she was just taking out her anger on the guy. She probably imagined I was in the chains."

"Quit being cocky, Erlot," Dayne retorted, rolling his eyes.

"At least I have a cock. I'm just stating the obvious. Or are you jealous to think that she was thinking about me in chains, not you?" Erlot accused, laughing loudly.

"Erlot," called a voice from the back of the chamber.

The boys turned to see Oruz's figure filling up the doorway. Erlot grunted as he passed Dayne and Collin, making his way to his master. His green eyes shimmered in the dim torch light as he approached his master.

"Yes, Master Oruz?"

"I want you to quit playing games with your fellow e'iants and focus on training. You have to keep the end in sight. Our time is soon," Oruz stated.

"Our time, Master?" Erlot asked in a confused manner.

"Yes, our time, Erlot. Once you become Aecha, you and I will run the Cult the way it ought to be run," Oruz replied in a faraway voice.

"Right, our time," Erlot responded dryly.

Oruz came back to reality a few seconds later and glared at Erlot, "Well? What are you doing? Get to the training rooms."

-

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when Chandra had finished working at the Red Dragon. It had started to rain heavily in the middle of the night but that hadn't stopped Chandra from working. It had been an unbelievably long night. Five regulars and two new clients had managed to make it onto Chandra's schedule. It was impossible for words to describe how tired she was.

Grabbing her gray coat and hat, Chandra quickly hurried out of the brothel as the morning light began to bathe the city's streets. A cool breeze played with the loose strands of hair under Chandra's hat and swirled up into her nostrils, clearing her mind and revving her for her walk home.

The walk home was always the worse than the walk to work. Guilt always clouded Chandra's head whenever she headed home because she thought about her parents and her sister; the three most important people in her life who had no idea about what she did to make money. She knew they would be ashamed. They would be disgusted. They would exile her. But they needed the money.

Chandra shivered as another breeze blew against her.

"There are other ways, you know," a voice stated from beside Chandra.

The girl's head spun quickly to her right that it was amazing it hadn't come off. Her stranger, or Kylar Stern, stood next to her with a serious look on his face. He was no longer in his modest peasant's tunic and pants. Instead, he wore a noble's white shirt and brown pants.

"Excuse me?" Chandra asked as if she had been insulted.

"You don't have to be a whore to make money," Kylar replied.

Chandra's mouth twitched at the word 'whore'. She hated that word. But a 'whore' was essentially what she was. Ignoring his comment, Chandra turned away from him and continued to walk home.

Kylar stared at her retreating back, shaking his head. He had seen too many good women throw their lives away because of whoring. Kylar turned around towards the Red Dragon. The sun was already in full view and the streets were starting to fill up with people. As he opened the door to the Red Dragon, several people glared at Kylar, thinking him as indecent and foul.

During the day, it appeared that the Red Dragon didn't get a lot of business, which was understandable. Most of the girls working at Red Dragon were seated in the foyer, talking about last night or eating breakfast. One girl waved at Kylar, whom he ignored as he barged into Madame Selene's office.

"My, my Kylar, you make quite an entrance," Madame Selene stated. "What may I help you with?"

"How long has that Chandra girl been working here?" Kylar asked.

Madame placed her index finger against her chin, "Maybe a few months at the least. She's one of the newest girls here. Why? Interested in paying for her room?"

Kylar scoffed, "No. I just don't think a girl that young should be working in a brothel."

"She's 18. She can do as she pleases," Madame Selene responded. She paused for a moment and continued, "Since you're here, I just want to make sure we're on the right page. You are going to help us, correct?"

Kylar scoffed again, "I really don't see why I should help you."

Madame Selene narrowed her eyes at him, "Because it's the right thing; the just thing."

"Like I said last night, I'm going to help you not for your business' sake but for the sake of Cenaria's citizens."

Madame Selene smiled, "Well that's good then. I've sent out a scout to find some information about the Cult. We should be receiving more information in a few days time. Until then, please make yourself easy to reach."

"I'll be seeing you, Madame Selene," Kylar replied as he turned to leave.

"Oh, and Kylar," the Mistress of Pleasures called out to him before he was completely out the door, "Please don't mess around with my whores."

Kylar grunted and shut the door behind him.


	7. CoTN: Chapter 7

Cult of The Night: Chapter Seven

Kara's legs felt heavy as she ran through the halls of Sivasi; Shame and embarrassment washed over her and her head ached as she recalled the expressions on her fellow e'iants' faces. Kara had let her wall down. She had let the others seen a side of her she hadn't wished to. What were they thinking, right now, this very instant, about her? What were they saying? They probably believed that they now had the upper hand. Someone so out of control could never become Aecha. Kara's hear sunk. Eran. What had Eran thought of her whole performance? She had been so caught up in fleeing the scene that she hadn't even noticed whether her Master had approved or disapproved of her actions.

Kara slowed to a walk and let out a deep breath. There were so many burdens of being an e'iant. Why had she agreed to this? Did she even agree in the first place? Why had Eran chosen her, out of anyone in Cult? She was the underdog in this race to claim the title of Aecha, so why her? Kara reached her room and entered it. It would almost be dinner, Kara reminded herself. There was nothing much left to do in the day other than to take a shower and hopefully wash all her troublesome thoughts away. Maybe she could pray a little beforehand as well.

The stench of a criminal's blood on her robes was not appealing at all. If anything, it was repulsive. Kara grimaced at pungent smell and grabbed her poor excuse for a towel. The white, hole-ridden cloth barely reached around Kara's entire body. It's length was just as pathetic, barely covering her upper thigh. The towel would have fared better as a face washcloth rather than a body towel. Needless to say, the damned thing left little to the imagination. Kara cursed whatever luck she had and made her way to the showers, a public one no less.

Luckily, the shower room was deserted. Kara gave a relieved sigh and removed her robe, revealing her naked body. The cool air of the shower room nipped at her fair skin, causing her to shiver slightly as she entered one of the curtained showers. Kara turned the knob for the shower and was instantly assailed by cold droplets. She yelped and quickly turned the knob further to warm the water. The girl sighed in contentment as the warm water traveled down her body and warmed her generously, cleansing her of the dirt and filth that once stuck to her. Kara leaned her back against the tiled wall and tilted her head up, opening her mouth and letting the water wash over her. She closed her eyes, relishing the heat of the water. She ran her fingers through her hair as the steam swirled around her. Then suddenly, a blast of cold air hit her. The girl's eyes snapped open.

"Kara?!"

Kara's eyes found the intruder where the curtains had been pulled aside. Her arms quickly flew to cover herself and shoved passed Collin to retrieve her towel.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Collin?" Kara asked angrily. Her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as she attempted to cover herself with the flimsy towel. "The curtains were drawn for a reason. Didn't the steam and the sound of water tip you off that someone might possibly be raking a shower?"

"I-I I'm sorry Kara!" Collin stuttered in shock, equally embarrassed, "I swear I don't mean anything by it!" Collin fought the urge to let his eyes wander Kara's figure, knowing what the possible consequences could be. "Erlot and I were searching for Dayne. I just assumed. I'm sorry, I-"

Before he got another word out, Kara was already out the room, steaming with anger. Several Bloods stared at her both with curiosity and bewilderment as she stormed down the west wing towards her room. Her thoughts filled with contempt for the three other e'iants. Pulling on a clean robe, Kara stormed back out into the hallway and head towards the dining hall.

_I'm going to show those idiots_, Kara though angrily, _I'll show them how cruel Kara Tythe can be_.

-

"But that wouldn't make a lot of sense," Dayne countered as he bit hungrily into a fried chicken's leg. "Why would they bother selling if they knew they would become bankrupt?"

Erlot thought about Dayne's statement as he spooned some soup into his mouth, "Well, I suppose you could be right, some ulterior motive would make sense. But I never really understood why people got interested in the farming business anyway. Seems redundant to me."

The hustle bustle of the dining hall droned out the footsteps of the third e'iant boy as he walked over to his fellows with his head down. His face wore an expression of guilt and anxiousness as he peered over to their table. Much to his relief, the girl was not there. Collin let out a deep breath and strolled over to the table where Dayne and Erlot were engaged in a superficial conversation about the economics of the farming business.

"-Plus, they're doing a positive good by providing all of Midcyru with food. There is purpose behind the madness of farmers, Erlot. Hey, Collin, took you long enough," Dayne greeted as Collin took his seat across Dayne and next to Erlot.

"Yeah, well I would have been here sooner if Erlot hadn't sent me on mission impossible to find you," Collin replied sending a glare in Erlot's direction.

"My bad," Erlot replied laughingly, "I found Dayne not a few minutes after we separated. I contemplated on going back to get you, but I was starving by then."

"Oh yeah, well I figured, after I bumped into Miss Prissy Pants," Collin replied begrudgingly while filling his plate up with potatoes, vegetables, and a steak.

"You ran into Kara?" Dayne asked curiously, "How was she?"

"Prissy," Collin answered, cutting his steak and shoving a piece in. "I swear that girl needs to seek some mental advice or something. She can get hung up over the simplest of things. I think she's got some control issues. Maybe it's that Master of hers. I always thought Eran was a bit loony."

Erlot and Dayne stared at Collin in bewilderment.

"What happened?" Dayne asked with a furrowed brow.

"She overreacted," Collin replied simply.

"What did you do?" Dayne pressed further with an irritable expression on his face.

"I caught her in the shower," Collin replied stuffing another piece of steak in his mouth.

"YOU WHAT?!" Dayne and Erlot shouted at the same time.

Collin stopped chewing the food in his mouth, "What?"

The reactions of the other two boys were completely opposite. While Dayne looked constipated and about to implode, Erlot looked like he was about to shout in joy and break out in song. Collin's face turned a slight tinge of pink.

"I thought she was Dayne. I apologized, alright?"

Erlot, having a difficult time controlling his laughter, choked out, "That… is… the most… hilarious thing… I have ever heard."

Dayne kicked Erlot from under the table, "Shut up, Erlot. If I was her, I would have been just as mad. Let me guess, instead of shielding your eyes you oogled her and droned on some redundant apology."

"Hey, at least I said I was sorry!" Collin argued. "If it were Erlot, he probably would have groped the girl."

Erlot made no contentions to Collin's statement. Dayne narrowed his eyes at Erlot then returned his attention to Collin.

"She has every right to be mad at you," Dayne reiterated.

"You're just as bad as she is!" Collin exclaimed, rolling his eyes. "What is it with women and their mood swings? She's obviously rubbed off on you because you're having the same mood swings. Getting mad at nothing, complaining, and storming off for no reason. That's all women are good for. You apologize and they just get mad. They're a bunch of idlers. All they're good for is for home making and raising families. Don't know what the hell Eran was thinking when he chose a bitch as his e'iant."

Collin gazed at Dayne waiting for his reaction only to find the e'iant's head down, busy eating his food with a somber expression on his face. Collin frowned and turned to Erlot who was doing the same only he was trying to suppress laughter.

"You guys, what are you-"

"So I'm a bitch now, am I Collin?" a voice from behind the boy asked.

Collin froze in his chair, unwilling to turn around and acknowledge the fact that he had been caught red handed.

"I'll show you how much of a bitch I can be," Kara replied.

-

Madame Selene sorted through her paperwork, separating the finished from the unfinished, the in from the out, and the short from the long. The work she had to do was burdensome and tiresome, but it was in her blood. She was meant for this kind of work. That made Madame Selene smile a little. She was continuing the work of her great-grandmother, a legend by her own right.

Madame Selene shook the thought away and returned to the matters at hand. If she ever wanted to be a great as Kierna she had to stay focused. A knock came at her door.

"Come in," Madame Selene beckoned, signing a document and placing it in a folder.

A blonde headed girl stepped into the room, timidly and smiled at Selene.

"Ah, Chandra, please have a seat," the Mistress of Pleasures commanded.

Chandra nodded and sat in the lush red arm chair situated in front of Selene's desk. The girl was nervous, as she ought to be, being called into Madame Selene's office was either a very good thing or a very bad thing and right now, Chandra was uncertain as to which it could be.

"Chandra, how have you been?" Madame asked with a smile.

"I'm ok. Madame, why do you ask?" Chandra replied with a frown.

"Well, it seems that Kylar has taken some interest in you," Madame replied, shuffling some papers.

Chandra opened her mouth to reply but Madame Selene continued to speak before any words were formed from the blonde girl's mouth.

"And, you have some interest in him as well," Madame finished.

Chandra scoffed, "If 'interest' is another word for 'loathe' then yes, I have an immense amount of interest for him."

Madame Selene chuckled,"Yes, he is a bit rough around the edges, isn't he? But from what a few sources have been able to tell me, Kylar's been away from civilization for a while and he's a bit out of touch with the proper mannerisms of how to show affection for a lady, but give him a while. You'll warm up to him."

"What exactly are you trying to get me to do, Madame Selene? Does he want my services for free? What is it?" Chandra asked irritably.

"We need Kylar, Chandra. We need a reason for Kylar to help us. I need you to be that reason. So, please, just bear whatever he does. We want him to be happy."

Chandra sat quietly in her seat for a few minutes, contemplating. Her eyes were trailed to the floor with guilt and her breathes were unsteady. Here she was, in the office of her superior, being asked to please the one person she was currently resenting. She was being asked not commanded. Chandra cursed herself for being selfless as she returned to Madame Selene's gaze.

"Alright," Chandra replied, "But I'm doing this for the girls. Not for Kylar's interest nor mine."

Madame Selene just smiled.

-

"Kara, seriously, Kara. Is this really necessary?" Dayne asked as his eyes trained on the girl with her sword pointed at Collin's neck.

"Get up and fight me, Collin," Kara yelled at the boy.

The whole dining room's attention was now focused on the Four E'iants' table. Kara's anger had peaked and there was no stopping her. Erlot watched the scene unfold before him with amusement dancing in his eyes. Collin had been rendered motionless by amazement, and therefore further fueling Kara's anger. Dayne was the only e'iant in his right mind.

"Kara, this is neither the time nor the place. We understand you're a bit upset, but this won't solve anything," Dayne reasoned.

"Shut up Dayne," Erlot laughed, "I want to see how Collin fares against the fine maiden."

"Erlot, you are not helping this situation," Dayne scolded.

"That's because I don't want to, idiot," Erlot replied. "Go on, fight the girl, Collin."

Kara's chest heaved up and down, restless and angry, willing for Collin to accept her duel. She and the rest of the dining hall waited anxiously for Collin's reply. Kara knew she was not even close to being at the same level of swordsmanship as the boys, but in her current state of mind, she didn't care. She was tired of being looked over. She was going to show everyone that she was better than the other e'iants.

"I'm not going to fight you, Kara," Collin replied.

"Why the hell not?" Kara and Erlot asked at the same time.

Kara glared at Erlot and then turned her attention back to Collin.

"Because, like Dayne said, it will not solve anything. It'll only make you angrier."

"Why would it make me angrier, Collin?"

"Because you'd lose," he answered with a smug smile before cutting another piece of his steak and putting it in his mouth.

Kara's eyes narrowed dangerously, forgetting she was holding her sword, she punched Collin in the side of his head, causing him to fall into Erlot who shoved him back and out of the table booth they were seated in. The dining room howled and egged on the fight as Kara tossed her sword away, watching as Collin staggered to his feet and faced her. His expression was annoyed yet he assumed a fighting stance, his stare locking dangerously with hers. Kara smiled from underneath her hood and sprinted towards Collin, jumping at the last moment send a kick into his chest.

Unfazed, Collin grabbed Kara's ankle and used her momentum to throw her into a nearby table. The impact was deafening. The sound if splintering wood was loss through the chorus of the Bloods cheering on their favorite e'iant. Kara got to her feet unsteadily, her hood down and revealing her ferocious red hair that matched her mood. Before she could process what was happening, a barrage of punches fell upon her. She had managed to dodge the first few but could not keep up. Her sides began to feel numb and black dots appeared at the corner of her eyes. The punches stopped suddenly and then Kara was sent flying across the other side of the hall. Her stomach ached where she had been kicked.

_Come on Kara_, her mind begged. It was enough to will her back to her feet. Everything around her was hazy, but her vision cleared just in time to dodge another barrage of Collin's punches. Kara dropped to the ground and performed a low kick, sending Collin to the ground with a sickening thud. Kara pounced onto Collin, straddling his middle and sending punches at his head. Kara lifted her right hand to send another punch at Collin until he rolled her over and pinned her hands to the side of her head.

"Atta boy, Collin! Show her whose boss!" Erlot called out laughingly.

Through his bloodied lip, Collin smiled Kara who only narrowed her eyes at him.

"Are we done yet?" Collin asked.

"Over my dead body," Kara replied.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I've got you pinned, I think that WOA-"

Kara managed to get her knees on either side of Collin's head and flip him onto his face. Sitting on Collin's back, Kara quickly turned around so she could pull one of his arms behind his back. She pulled on it hard, causing the boy to scream.

"AH, KARA! STOP! ALRIGHT, YOU WIN!" Collin screamed with his eye balls coming out of their sockets.

Triumphant, Kara stood up off of Collin with a smug smile. Everyone in the hall stared in astonishment as Kara left the hall.

Dayne shook his head and helped Collin to his feet, "You let her win."

Collin looked at Dayne and smiled through his bloodied face, "She's a female."

**A/N:** Ask an you will recieve. :]


	8. CoTN: Chapter 8

Cult of The Night: Chapter Eight

"The number one rule you must always remember is?"

"Deception," Kara answered automatically.

Master Eran nodded his head approvingly. It wasn't the first time Eran had asked his e'iant that question, and it wasn't going to be the last. Kara had to make everyone believe she was and would be the underdog. She had to make the members of the cult believe it. She had to make the other three Four members believe it. And, most of all, she had to make her fellow e'iants believe it.

"And why, Kara, is deception important?" Master Eran asked as he flipped the page in the book he was reading.

Kara sighed, "Because it commands respect."

Master Eran gazed across the table without moving his head. His e'iant winced under his stare but returned it. This pleased Eran, making him smile at the girl as he slammed his book shut. The thud echoed throughout the library.

"You're number one goal is to become Aecha, leader of our Cult. If people perceive you as the underdog, they will respect you when you snatch the title of Aecha. You need to show them you are struggling when you are actually mastering the necessary skills of the Aecha."

Kara grumbled to herself and noticeably sunk into her chair. Eran raised his eyebrows at the girl, "Speak, Kara."

Kara's eyes flickered to her Master, contemplating whether or not to tell the truth.

"I dislike the idea of people underestimating me. Everyone does it. The boys do it. They let me win simply because they believe I can't. I want to show them I can compete; that I am just as good as they are."

Eran folded his arms and leaned back in his chair, "Trust me Kara. You will always be underestimated. People will always question the validity of your position. It happens to me as well. But the day will come when you prove them wrong. Your day will come."

-

Dayne walked quickly down the hallway towards the library. A burden weighted itself on his shoulders and would not leave him alone. His mind was a mess and he did not know how to deal with it. The other two boys would not be of any help. They would actually just be the opposite. They would ridicule him until the end of days. Dayne groaned at the thought. Not even confiding in Collin would help anymore.

As he neared the library, a figure emerged from the open doorway. Dayne automatically moved aside to let the figure through, bowing his head in respect. Master Eran stopped and studied Dayne for a moment.

"Good afternoon, E'iant Dayne. On the way to the library?" the old man asked.

Dayne blinked. He had never before spoken to Eran. It was an odd thing to be addressed by one of the Four that was not your Master.

"Uh, yes Master," Dayne replied.

Eran nodded but kept his curious stare on the e'iant, "Tra'sa having you study up on something?"

To avoid coming up with a complicated lie, Dayne simply nodded his head in agreement.

"Hm, curious. Well, goodbye E'iant Dayne."

Dayne waited until Eran disappeared down the corridor before resuming his mission to the library. The incident with Eran had been nerve racking for Dayne. It seemed like Eran knew more of Dayne's intentions than he let on.

The library would be empty now, or at least mostly empty. Actually, the library was almost always empty except when _she_ was in there. Sometimes she was with her Master, other times she was by herself. Dayne had come across this information through personal observations.

Dayne laughed mentally to himself. "Personal observations?" Who was he trying to convince? Himself? Any other sane person would label him a stalker. But, Dayne countered, if he had a purpose for seeing her it wouldn't be stalking.

When Dayne arrived at the doorway to the library he spotted her immediately. Her hood was down, allowing her hair to spill over her shoulders as she read a book. Dayne's stomach lurched at the sight of her. She hadn't noticed him yet and he hadn't found the courage to enter either. A few seconds passed and Kara got up from her seat, book in hand and eyes still glued to the page. He watched as the girl walked toward a shelf and pulled another book off of the shelf.

Dayne grimaced, wondering how someone could possibly stand reading so much literature. As she made her way back towards her table, Dayne walked over. His external features were eerily calm yet his insides were bursting with nervousness. He sat across from her.

"Hello Kara," he greeted cheerily.

Kara did not acknowledge him.

Dayne blinked dumb founded yet unfazed.

"I wanted to congratulate you on your fight with Collin last night," he started.

Kara mumbled something under her breath but did not remove her eyes from the book she was reading. Slowly, Dayne could feel his insides crumbling. Things weren't going exactly as he had expected them to. Talking to Kara was like talking to a wall.

Dayne tried again, "He was wrong when he called you a-"

"Is there something I can help you with?" Kara asked without removing her eyes from her book.

Finally, he had a way in. It was like suddenly a door appeared on that wall named Kara. "I was just wondering if you wanted any pointers or tips on combat. Maybe we could train together. We both know your Master isn't teaching you the necessary skills."

Kara raised her eyebrows at Dayne but didn't say anything.

"I mean, maybe we could just train together in gene-"

"I don't need a partner."

Dayne frowned, "I'm just offering you help."

Kara shut her book closed and glared at Dayne, "I don't need help. I don't need your pity. I am not helpless."

Dayne shivered at her cold demeanor. What was it about her that made him so attracted to her? She was so hostile towards him and the other two e'iants yet somehow Dayne could not stop thinking about her.

Kara studied Dayne. He was different from the other two e'iants, she would give him that. But she didn't need distractions. Deception, Kara reminded herself as she watched Dayne crumble on the inside from the rejection.

"Oh," was all Dayne could muster out.

Kara nodded and returned to her book.

Dayne forced a smile at her even though she wasn't looking at him, "See you at dinner."

-

The three boys sat at the table, eating their dinner; Kara hadn't joined them yet which allowed them to talk about an array of subjects that would otherwise be 'off limits' when the female e'iant was around.

"Hey Peeping Tom, did you catch a glimpse of Kara again?" Erlot chuckled.

Collin glared at Erlot. The jokes had been coming non-stop since the night before. All day and night Erlot had to make a jab at Collin. It was something he would never let him live down.

"No, Erlot, I didn't. Quit it, ok?" Collin replied rolling his eyes.

Erlot laughed loudly this time, "Then why is she late, again?"

"How am I supposed to know? Ask Dayne."

The two boys looked at Dayne with secretive smiles. Dayne frowned at them, "How do you expect me to know?"

Collin laughed this time, "You did see her before dinner, didn't you?"

Dayne shook his head, "I don't know what you're ta-"

"_Oh Kara, I can help you. I'll teach you how to hold my sword. We can train together. Oh, Kara,_"Erlot sang in a high pitched voice.

Dayne's face turned red with embarassment, "H-how?"

"You could say that Erlot and I stumbled across each other close to the library where you were miserably failing to serenade said Kara… or you could say we were spying on you," Collin replied with a grin.

"You are quite pathetic when it comes to women, Dayne," Erlot noted. "You make the rest of us guys look bad."

"Why in the world were you two following me?!" Dayne asked through gritted teeth.

"Well," Collin started taking a sip of his drink, "We were going to surprise attack you. Erlot and I were wondering how well you would fare in a two versus one match, and we happened to stumble upon you intently watching Kara in the library."

"Stalker," Erlot added quickly, hoping to get a rise out of Dayne.

Dayne gazed at the two e'iants with disbelief, "Would you two just stop? I just wanted to help her out since we've all been giving her a hard time."

"Yeah, you would like to give her a hard time, wouldn't you, Dayne?" Erlot mused, trying to retain his laughter.

Dayne began to grow irritated with Erlot's jests, "Shut up, Erlot."

"So, since you didn't deny it, that means you do?" Collin offered.

"No," Dayne replied dumbly.

"So you do want to?" Collin asked, genuinely confused with Dayne's answer.

"NO! I don't want to give her a 'hard' time as Erlot is implying," Dayne replied, agitated by his fellows' teasing.

"Why? I would," Erlot scoffed.

"Some of us are noble men," Dayne replied, grumbling to himself.

Erlot raised his eyebrows at Dayne, "Real men should take pride in their- "

"Should I come back later?"

The three boys quickly turned to find Kara standing at the edge of the table with a plate of food. Her hood was drawn over her head for some reason, obstructing their view of her eyes. Erlot was the first one to find words.

"I don't think women should be allowed to come at all, actually," he stated with a grin on his face.

"Shut up, Erlot," Dayne said.

Under her hood, Kara rolled her eyes. All the boys ever did was make crude jokes and irritate each other. Her job would be easy if this was how they would always act. Boys will be boys, she figured. Kara placed her plate on the table and silently began to eat her dinner.

"So Dayne," Erlot began.

"Shut up, Erlot" Dayne repeated again.

Erlot rolled his eyes, "I was just going to ask you to pass the salt."

-

Kylar sat the bar of The Red Dragon; his eyes were narrowed and focused on the empty shot glass before him. He contemplated buying another but soon convinced himself not to. The lights were dimmed low and the night was still young. Customers were slowly starting to enter The Red Dragon. One by one they entered and were led to a room or the bar.

Kylar had spent the last few nights along the rooftops of the Warrens, watching and waiting for something, anything. He had stopped a few muggers and a couple of drunkards but nothing too extraordinary. The Warrens wasn't as bad as it used to be but it still wasn't a place the people of Cenaria City wanted to be caught in during nightfall.

Tonight, Kylar had found the evening eerily calm and decided to lay low inside The Red Dragon. The girls had become accustomed to his presence and automatically smiled at him whenever they passed. Kylar sighed.

"Hey," a voice greeted from the stool next to him.

Kylar gazed at the girl from the corners of his eyes, "Hello Chandra."

"How many of those have you had tonight?" She asked, placing her chin on top of her fist as she gazed at him.

"How do you I've had more than one?" Kylar replied, spinning the glass on one of its corners.

"I've been watching you for awhile now. I lost count around sixteen."

Kylar grimaced, "Really? I lost count around twenty-five."

"Wow, I'm surprised you're not dead. You don't even seem drunk, let alone stink of alcohol," Chandra replied genuinely amazed.

Kylar rolled his eyes, "Do you have a reason for being here? If I remember correctly our last encounter didn't end too well. I'm pretty sure that you walked away angrily from me."

"Yes, I did," Chandra replied, twitching slightly. Kylar noticed the girl tense up dramatically but didn't mention it to her. "But I figured, it would be in both our best interests that I move past that small comment."

Kylar opened his mouth to speak again only to have her finger press against his lips. He looked at her confused.

"Let's talk about this more in my room," Chandra said as she pulled Kylar off his chair and into one of the first floor rooms.

"Chandra, I don't really want to be in here," Kylar protested as Chandra locked the door.

"You could have fought back, but you didn't," Chandra smirked as she turned to face Kylar. She took two strides towards him, causing him to back into the bed. "Let's see how drunk you really are."

Kylar frowned, "Chandra, I-"

Before he could get another word out, the blonde was on top of him with her lips pressed against his lips. Strangely, Kylar didn't force her off. A deep longing yearned inside of him. After decades of being alone, Kylar wanted to be close to someone, anyone. Chandra straddled his hips and pressed herself against him and was awarded with a moan. Kylar found himself mesmerized with the blonde. His hands explored and traced her curves. His mind was a complete mess. Soon, he found himself on top of her with his hands travelling up her thigh.

Then he opened his eyes.

A pair of familiar big brown eyes and scars smiled back at him.

Kylar flung himself off of Chandra and fell onto the floor, startled.

"Kylar? What's wrong?" she asked.

Kylar looked again. The brown eyes and scars had been replaced with Chandra's blue eyes and flawless skin. He gave a sigh and placed his face in his hands. Even after all these years, the thought of _her_ still haunted him.

Chandra knelt at the edge of her bed and studied Kylar, "I'm sorry, Kylar. Did I do something wrong?"

Kylar gave an exhausted sigh and looked at Chandra, "No."

"Then what's wrong?"

"Why are you doing this, Chandra? Did Madame Selene put you up to this?" Kylar asked seriously.

Chandra remained quiet.

Kylar sighed against, "I'm sorry, for everything. I can't do _this_ with you because it's wrong and because you don't want to do it either."

Chandra opened her mouth to protest, "I-"

"And," Kylar interrupted, "You remind me too much of _her_."

Chandra's mouth clamped shut. A few seconds later, she asked, "Of who?"

Kylar gazed at the ground, "Elene."

-

"So…" Erlot said, trying to break the awkward silence that had fallen on the table. "No one's getting beat up today?"

"Do you feel it necessary to make every situation uncomfortable for the great majority of us?" Dayne asked irritated.

"I'm not uncomfortable," Collin stated.

Kara finished the last forkful of food on her plate and cleared her throat. The three other e'iants gazed at her expectantly.

"Dayne, may I speak to you?" Collin and Erlot waited hungrily for whatever she was going to say to Dayne. "Privately," she added upon seeing Collin's and Erlot's eager eyes.

Erlot and Collin sat back in their chairs annoyed. As Kara stood up from the table and began to walk away, Dayne followed her out of the dining room.

"Did you reconsider my offer?" Dayne asked hopefully as they walked slowly down the corridor.

They turned the corner into a deserted hall. Kara turned to face Dayne and removed her hood so she could make eye contact with him. Dayne was surprised at how gentle and kind Kara appeared. Her eyes, he decided. Her eyes revealed her mood.

"No," she answered softly. "But I just wanted to clarify a few things with you."

Dayne waited patiently for her to continue. His stomach kept doing summersaults while his brain prepped him for disappointment.

"I overheard the conversation you, Erlot, and Collin had before I came to table."

Dayne visibly froze, "I-I… I wouldn't think those things. They're just messing around. You know, Kara. I-I would ne-"

Kara held her hand up to stop him. Dayne instantly shut up, "I've known for sometime about your attraction towards me."

Dayne frowned, obviously puzzled, "But how could you know? I didn't know myself until a day ago."

Kara gave him a small smile that made him melt, "Call it intuition."

Dayne smiled back. Perhaps things weren't as grim as he perceived, perhaps Kara did share the feelings he shared for her.

"However, I feel obliged to warn you of the implications your emotions may present you," Kara took a deep breath and closed her eyes and opened them again. "While I am flattered by your interest in me, I advise you against it. Emotions only get in the way and hinder us from achieving our goals. They make you weak and, with the positions that we hold, we cannot allow that."

Dayne blinked. The stomach lurching had regressed into a lump that sat heavily at the bottom of his abdomen. Kara watched as a flurry of emotions flashed across Dayne's face. A part of her told her to feel guilty for being so blunt, but another part told her she did the right thing.

"Sorry," Kara apologized as she walked away.

As she turned the corner, she ran into Erlot and Collin, both trying to contain their laughter. Kara rolled her eyes and walked passed them. When she was several yards away she hear Erlot say, "Ouch man, reject twice in one day."

"Shut up, Erlot."

**A/N:** I'm not so good with keeping up with these updates, aren't I? Hahaha, I'm sorry.


	9. CoTN: Chapter 9

Cult of The Night: Chapter Nine

"I hereby call this meeting of the Four in session," Eran stated, taking his seat.

"What is the meaning of this meeting, Eran?" asked Tra'sa.

Eran glanced at Oruz, "Oddly enough, Tra'sa, I myself did not call this meeting. It is in fact, Oruz that insisted there was a matter of the utmost importance that we discuss. You should ask him."

"Why thank you so much for that wonderful introduction, Eran," Oruz laughed heartily, noting Eran's obvious irritation with him. "I was chatting with my e'iant and the subject of justice came up."

"A funny subject for you to be discussing," Eran muttered, narrowing his eyes at Oruz.

Ignoring Eran's comment, Oruz continued, "And we came to the conclusion that justice is not being distributed equally among the lands."

"What are you suggesting, then, Oruz?" Bernashi asked.

"Yes, why don't you get to the point, Oruz." Eran barked.

The other three members turned to Eran in question. This was the first time they had seen Eran act this way. Oruz was the least liked member of the Four, but no one had ever acted so forward about it. Eran knew something that Bernashi and Tra'sa didn't. But he wasn't about to reveal what exactly that was.

"As I was saying," Oruz continued again. "Justice is not equally distributed among the lands in Midcyru. We shouldn't just limit our justice to Cenaria. We should be expanding justice's hands!"

Tra'sa raised his eyebrows, surprised at Oruz's statement, "Oh, that is very… valiant of you, Oruz. I like the idea. But how exactly do you propose we do that?"

"We return to our homelands. Eran will stay here in Sivasi to watch over Cenaria with his e'iant. You return to Lodricar. Bernashi to Ceura, and I to Khalidor. We'll split the Bloods and the Hands by their homelands as well."

"You want to split up the Cult?" Bernashi asked, astonished.

"Yes," Oruz answered with a grin. "It's ingenious, is it not?"

"I like the idea," said Tra'sa. "I second it".

"As do I, I guess," Bernashi stated.

They all turned to look at Eran who wore a bitter and disgusted look on his face. He had been silent the whole meeting side from his first remarks towards Oruz. They waited in anticipation for Eran's vote. Minutes later, Eran finally spoke. "I will support Oruz's proposal."

There was a moment of silence to let the voting sink in.

"Are there anymore issues to be discussed before the close of this meeting?" Eran asked.

No one spoke up.

"This meeting has ended."

-

Erlot stared at his Master in shocked and amazement.

"They really voted for it? The goon Eran voted for it?" Erlot asked, unbelievingly.

Oruz laughed at his e'iant, "Yes, the fools they are. Thinking that this is for 'justice'. Well it is. Justice for us. With the Cult separated, we will be able to obtain Aecha. You just have to do as I tell you from now on and the Cult will be ours in no time."

"Yes, Master Oruz," Erlot answered.

Oruz stared at his e'iant with irritation. It was amazing how mindless Erlot could be sometimes.

"Leave me, Erlot. I must gather the Khalidorian Hands and Bloods for our leave," Oruz commanded.

Erlot turned away from his master and started to walk towards the dormitories. On the way he ran into the other e'iants talking in the hallway. He faked a smirk and walked towards them.

"Why, hello," Erlot greeted.

The other three looked at Erlot with an array of expressions on their faces. Dayne looked somewhat upset. Collin, indifferent. And Kara… irritated.

"Did you know what your Master proposed?" Kara demanded, making fists at her sides.

Erlot blinked wondering why she would be so upset about the Cult separating.

"Yes, I helped him come up with the idea," Erlot replied with a grin.

"Why? Are you an idiot?" Kara asked appalled. "Do you have any idea how _weak_ we'll be if we separate? Do you know how many enemies we have created? Spreading ourselves thin will only make it easier for us to fall."

"It was a poor decision," Collin added in what seemed to be a bored tone.

"Yes, and in the midst of the Aecha training?" Dayne asked. "It's preposterous".

"Oh you worry-warts. Nothing will happen to the Cult. Distance makes the heart grow fonder. Right, Dayne?" Erlot retorted with a smirk.

Dayne blushed, avoiding Kara's gaze.

"We'll be stronger separated. And we'll be able to recruit more Bloods" Erlot tried.

"Oh shut up. Do you actually believe half the crap that comes out of your mouth?" Kara asked, getting angrier as the seconds rolled on.

Erlot was taken aback by Kara's insult. He narrowed his eyes at Kara, "We obviously have different opinions of how to run the Cult. I'll have you know that your Master voted for proposal".

Kara stared at Erlot in disbelief, "Do you think it would have mattered if he had voted against it? He was obviously outnumbered."

"But he could have still voted against it" Erlot smirked, seeing as he had won.

Out of no where, a fist landed itself in Erlot's face. Blood started to run profusely. Erlot began to slowly crumble to the ground. Collin rushed to Erlot's side and held him steady. Erlot glanced at the blood in his hands and then at Kara, anger welling up inside of him. Both his nose and ego broken.

"Yeah, shows how much of a 'bigger' person you are, Kara. Instead of being able to have a legitimate debate you resort to the only thing you know how to do. Fight. Was it because you knew that I was right? That you had lost. So you took the cheap shot?"

Kara started for Erlot again, deciding on strangling him to death. Her plan was rendered to null when Dayne decided to hold her back. She kicked and screamed at the boys.

"Let go of me Dayne! He doesn't deserve to live. He's the cause of the Cult's disintegration. I'm not the bad one here _he_ is."

"Oh, he won't let go of you Kara. He knows I'm right. And he just wants the chance to hold you before he leaves," Erlot retorted.

Dayne narrowed his eyes at Erlot with his mouth open with disgust. Immediately, he let go of Kara who rushed at Collin and Erlot. She ripped the two apart with a ferocious strength, tackling Erlot to the ground. Blood splattered on her from his nose that was still bleeding profusely. Erlot yelped in surprised, trying to get away from the enraged female. Kara raised her fist, preparing to smash Erlot's face in. She held her breath to muster all the strength in her and plant a good one on his face.

A palm gently put itself in front of Kara's fist. The girl turned her head, ready to shout at the interrupting person. Kara's face fell blank and her fist dropped.

"Come Kara, we must continue your training," Eran stated with an eerily calm face. He glanced at Erlot and then returned his gaze back to his own e'iant.

"Yes, Master Eran," Kara replied with her head down. She pulled her hood up, disguising the guilt and self-disgust she felt. But most of all, to hide the tears that were streaming down her face.

-

Eran sighed as they entered the library and sat at their table. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back as if he were going to stare at the dim ceiling. His e'iant sat across from him utterly silent. For a long time they sat like that, until Kara uncharacteristically broke the silence.

"You voted in support of Oruz's proposal…" Kara stated, choking back tears. "Why?"

Eran watched his e'iant. Her face was hidden beneath the mask of her hood but it was obviously she was staring at the table, afraid to make eye contact, afraid to reveal her tears, her weakness. Eran sighed.

"What is the number rule, Kara?" Eran asked.

Kara was silent for awhile. Then she replied in a whisper, "Deception."

"Exactly," Eran replied. "So don't berate me for supporting a proposal that I clearly don't support. You and I both know what Oruz's intentions are in separating the Cult. I knew before the meeting was called. To be an Aecha, you need to have ears, Kara."

Kara closed her eyes, trying to make her mind blank in order to calm herself, "I apologize for how I acted in the hallway."

Eran smirked, "Do not apologize. Erlot was terribly surprised by how fearsome you were. I'm sure all the boys were. They had never seen you act out in your full potential. They probably are still in disbelief, rationalizing that your strength was just out of the moment rather than it be your normal fighting strength. Because, Kara, if they believed it was your real strength they would be admitting their inferiority to you."

"I-I… The Cult will fall," Kara stammered, unable to continue for the threat of tears was too strong.

Eran gave her a small smile. "It is good you care much for the Cult. That is what the cult needs. Not some mindless puppet like Erlot. It disgusts me that Oruz wastes so much potential in that boy. He could be great if allowed," Erlot paused in thought. "Kara, the Cult will not fall because we will not allow it to. Oruz will be stopped. Tra'sa, Bernashi, and their e'iants will eventually see through Oruz's plans."

-

Madame Selene stared out of her window, watching the colorful leaves of fall fly by in the wind. A young couple walked by grinning at each other. Madame sighed, turning away from the happy couple. Love, what a silly thing it was. She shuffled her papers on her desk and read a memo that she had jotted down earlier on in the day.

"You called?"

Madame looked up from her desk. Her curious eyes fell on Kylar who stood in a dark corner of the small office. His arms were folded over his chest, a frown etched on his face. She smiled at him, rearranging the papers on her desk again.

"Kylar, take a seat. Tell me how you've been doing these past few days," she said, offering him the leather chair in front of her desk.

"I'll stand, thanks," Kylar replied, still wearing his frown.

"Oh, ok…" Madame Selene said to fill up the silence. "Well, your days, then?"

Kylar gave a scoff and shook his head, "Why would you put Chandra up to that?"

"Up to what?"

"You know very damn well what," Kylar barked back.

"Well, you looked very depressing at the bar. You were scaring business away" Madame Selene replied.

"Right."

Madame Selene cleared her throat, "Anyways, The reason why I called you here is that we've recently obtained information concerning the Cult. During our previous meetings, I planned to get whereabouts on the location of the Cult and to get more information on the group called 'The Four'. They apparently appear to be the elders of the organization. Their names are Eran, Oruz, Tra'sa, and Bernashi. Like I told you before, normally we would let the demise of this cult to play out, however, their existence is detrimental to our business. Thus, they must no longer be allowed to exist. Their headquarters is located here in Cenaria it is called Sivasi," Madame Selene paused to make sure Kylar was still paying attention. "Your job is to take them out. Eran should be the first on the list, he appears to be the leader. Oruz is a mindless ruthless killer. He should be weakened with the death of Eran. Tra'sa holds the traditions of the Cult dear and thus would continue the slaughter of innocents. Bernashi seems to be the wea-"

"Madame Selene!"

The door to Madame Selene's office flew open as a brown headed girl made her way through. Her hair was a mess and her cheeks flustered. A dark cape was draped around her shoulders, obscuring practically her whole body from view. A spy, Kylar decided.

"What is it Janelle?" Madame Selene asked with concern on her face.

"I have been passed on information from the field spies vital to our operation against the Cult of the Night," she said quickly and urgently. "The Cult has split."

"What?" Madame Selene asked astonished, tilting her head in question. "Why?"

"We're not sure, Madame. We're trying to obtain more information as it is. It is becoming much more difficult as the leaders take hundreds of members with them back to their apparent homelands. One other report has it that Oruz made claims against the good King Simon of Cenaria. 'Cenaria is a corrupt land with a corrupt king. Justice must be served through me. Cenaria will become a just nation'. Madame, he's planning on attacking us!" The spy gushed frantically.

Madame Selene shook her head, "Calm down, Janelle. Leave us."

The girl stared at Madame Selene in disbelief and left the room.

"Things have become more complicated than anticipated," Madame Selene muttered more to herself than Kylar. "Kylar, I will send more spies out into the field. I suggest you find some rest. The time to act is soon."

"Just don't bite off more than you can chew," Kylar muttered.

Madame Selene watched in dismay as he left the room.

-**A/N:** So this was actually only six pages long rather than nine pages long like chapter eight. I chose to stop here because… well it was a good place to stop and going onto chapter nine would leave you in the midst of the very important plot development. And you wouldn't want to be left hanging, would you? ;]

P.S, by the way, to all who've been reviewing. I lost interest in writing the story because I was discouraged by the critique of my writing. This is for you out there supporting NA fanfics!

P.P.S. The story is outlined until the finishing chapter. I just haven't written up all the chapters.


	10. CoTN: Chapter 10

Cult of The Night: Chapter Ten

King Simon sat on his throne, reading a novel that was taking him several days to finish. Cenaria City, in the king's opinion, had no need to be ruled with an iron fist. The city was a self-sufficient collection of districts and waterways that King Simon let the nobles do as they wished most of the time. King Simon sighed, scratching his nose and rubbing his mustache, it had been a long day and the King hoped that his servants had readied his sleeping garments.

"Evening, King Simon," a voice greeted from one of the shadowed corners of the throne room.

Surprised, King Simon jumped in his chair causing the pair of glasses on his nose to fall and clatter loudly on the ground. The king frowned at the corner as he bent down to pick up his pair of glasses but failed to make a coherent sentence in his head. He hadn't had a late night visit by this familiar stranger in quite some time.

"It's been awhile since we talked last, hasn't it, your Majesty?" The shadow continued with a visible smile and bright shining eyes.

The king blinked once and finally gained control of his vocal chords, "Why yes it has, Madame Selene. Don't tell me that the Sa'kage needs the arrest of more nobles. There are hardly any left. I can't see why you and the noblemen and women of Cenaria City cannot just form some sort of compromise. They hardly listen to me. Plus, I'm sure your ways are much more persuasive that mine are. Why just the other da-"

"Oh shut up," Madame Selene commanded. Instantly, the king's ramblings ceased and he was all ears for Madame Selene.

Madame Selene stepped out of the shadows with her arms folded and her mind deep in thought. The tall lady paced back and forth in front of the king thinking about what to tell her little puppet. The news she had to tell him would most certainly upset him and she did not want him to do anything rash. That would be bad for the Sa'kage, especially if the king ended up getting himself killed. A dead king was no good for them.

"King Simon, you are in danger," Madame Selene stated.

The king frowned, wrinkling his handsomest features and replied, "What? Why? What is the meaning of this?"

Madame Selene stopped pacing and studied the king's expression. A mixture of confusion, anger, and worry all appeared on his face. King Simon was a good king. He never sought to hurt his people but his dealings with Sa'kage had obviously made him a target of the Cult. But King Simon was not a corrupt king. It seemed as though the line between bad and good barely existed for the Cult. It was as if they had completely redefined what was considered good and what was bad. Madame Selene sighed.

"Have you heard of the Cult of the Night?" she asked.

"Yes. I was informed that the Sa'kage was currently dealing with them," the king replied.

"The Cult has named you their next target and is planning on attacking soon. They claim to kill in the name of justice, in the name of the Night Angel, but I would not doubt it if they attacked the citizens of Cenaria City on the quest for you. We have spies trying to find out when they plan on attacking but my suggestion is that you ready your troops as soon as possible" said Madame Selene.

The king shook his head in disbelief and turned away from Madame Selene, thinking deeply. There had to be other options for Cenaria City. Finally, after several minutes of deliberation, King Simon turned back to Madame Selene with a determined look on his face.

"I will ready the troops at once," he said with determination.

Madame Selene walked into her office in an oddly calm and collected manner. They were so close to having the Cult leaders in their hands and then this… this unexpected turn of events. The separation. The threats against the king. Madame Selene's operation was going to take longer than anticipated.

"Marie!" she called.

A small black haired girl walked into the room with a smile on her face and eyes eager for an order. Marie was one of the youngest girls that worked at the Red Dragon – she was also one of the most enthusiastic. She loved her job and she did it passionately. There was a reason why Marie had such a large client base and was one of Madame Selene's top girls.

"I want someone to find out what they can about the Cult branch in Cenaria and I want it done immediately."

Marie nodded vigorously and quietly closed the door as she left the room.

"She's a pretty one. Are you stealing the girls from their cribs as well to work for you?"

Madame Selene looked up from her desk to find Kylar in the corner of her office with a disgusted look on his face. Madame Selene shook her head and continued to work on the papers on her desk.

"What do you want Kylar? I don't have any new information for you. I told you I would contact you," Madame Selene said not removing her eyes from her work.

Kylar didn't reply right away. He was too busy wrapped up in his thoughts to actually formulate an answer to Madame Selene's question. Why was he here? He thought to himself.

"I just want to know why Chandra is working here," Kylar demanded.

"Chandra is working here for the same reason why the other girls are here. She needs the money," Madame Selene replied. "So I advise you to stay away from her if you're just going to badger her about it. My girls don't need that from you"

"There are other ways," Kylar began.

Madame Selene slammed her pen on the table and glared at Kylar, "Damn it, Kylar. Don't you get it? There are no other options for these girls. They've hit walls that are too strong for them to break through. The Red Dragon helps them from running into more of these walls and they're being taken care of. Tell me what other options are open in Cenaria City? Since you've been here for _so_ long. Tell me how many girls have you actually talked to and asked about their situation. Asked them the WHY. I'm sure if you heard the WHY's – the reasons – then you'd see that there are NO other options."

Kylar looked at Madame Selene in surprise but said nothing.

"Damn right you have nothing to say. Now get the hell out of my office,"

* * *

Erlot stared blankly at the open book in front of him. His Master was still droning on and on about weaknesses of foes. But none of that really mattered to Erlot. Why should he care what his foes weaknesses were? If they were weak that meant Erlot had a better chance of defeating them. Who cared about what they were exactly.

Khalidor was pretty dull as well. As much as Erlot hated to admit, he missed having the other e'iants around. Erlot had no one to poke fun at, insult, or fight with for his own entertainment. Instead, he was stuck with Oruz and all Oruz wanted to do was talk about the Cult and how it would be his one day. No, not Erlot's, it would be Oruz's. Erlot grumbled to himself.

"Master, I have a question," Erlot stated, interrupting his Master's monologue about weaknesses.

Oruz raised an eye brow in annoyance, "What?"

"Isn't this whole dominance thing supposed to be for me? For when I rule the Cult? You make it sound as if I'm not even here or apart of this."

"Erlot, my little e'iant, you will be my right hand man when the Cult is under our control"

Erlot gave a sigh and gazed out of the window, not wanting to push it any further.

* * *

"I just don't understand why it's taking so long," Kylar commented.

Madame Selene looked up from her work once again to address Kylar's comment, "Spy work is not the easiest line of work, Kylar. A lot of patience and waiting is involved. If you can't deal with it then please leave, because I actually have work to do and you're making _me_ anxious. And it's annoying."

"It's been almost three days," Kylar replied. "What if the Cult decides to attack Cenaria City tonight? Or tomorrow?"

Madame Selene sighed, "Why are you all of a sudden interested in the Sa'kage's cause? Just the other day you were completely against the idea of helping us."

Kylar stopped his pacing and thought about his response. "Because I want it to be finished. I need to leave Cenaria City before-"

"Before you get stuck here? Attached?" Madame Selene interrupted.

Kylar frowned at her but said nothing. She was right. Kylar didn't want to be stuck in Cenaria City, despite living alone for so many years. It wasn't the company of others that drained him, it was watching all the horrible sufferings and pain that the inflicted on one another... on themselves. For a second, Chandra flashed through Kylar's mind. He shook the thought away before he lost himself in those thoughts again. He had been too caught up in his head for the past few days that he found himself in Madame Selene's office, irritating her with his empty concerns for Cenaria City and its king.

"Ah, I see," Madame Selene said with a small smile. "You're already attached."

"No," Kylar said angrily. "I am not attached to this place. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of all wrong in this city. Things used to be so good. Things used to-"

"If you hadn't left they still would be," Madame Selene interrupted again.

Kylar was struck silent. There was no way he could have stayed after _she_ had left him. The city was too full of their memories.

"I couldn't stay," Kylar replied quietly. "I just couldn't."

Madame Selene looked at Kylar with sympathy. It must have been hard for him, to watch everyone he knew die out around him, until he was the only one left. The life of the Night Angel must be a lonely one. Madame Selene couldn't imagine a life like that.

A knock came at the door.

"Come in," Madame Selene beckoned.

In walked Marie with a worried look on her face. Madame Selene frowned, "What's wrong?"

"The Cult…" Marie started. "It's just horrible. They just kill. That's all they do. I've never seen so much violence. Khalidorians by themselves are bad as it is. But Khalidorians apart of the Cult? It was chaos, Madame Selene. The other spies are so worn down. They want to come home. Please bring them home."

"Marie, just tell me what you know about the branch of the Cult based in Cenaria City," replied Madame Selene.

Marie shook her head as if trying to shake away the awful experiences from the past few days, "When I was doing my rounds, I planned to meet the spy we sent to the Cenaria branch. She told me that the members in the Cenaria branch were getting restless and that communication between the branches was practically nonexistent after the split."

"Odd," Madame Selene said to herself. "Did my message get to their leader?"

"What message?" Kylar asked before Marie could answer. Madame Selene gave him a sideways glance, annoyed at his interruption.

"Yes," Marie answered. "He will meet us at noon tomorrow, halfway from Sivasi and Cenaria City."

"Good," Madame Selene replied. "I wasn't so sure they would agree to meet with us, knowing how much they dislike us and how vague the message was."

"What message?" Kylar asked again.

This time Madame Selene addressed the impatient man, "I asked the leader of the Cult branch in Cenaria City to meet with us. That's all."

"That's it?" Kylar frowned.

"Well, now you have something to do," Madame Selene replied. "Tomorrow at noon, meet with the Cult leader. Tell them about the Khalidorian branch. Get them to join us."

Kylar raised his eyebrows at her, doubting any success in this errand. He opened his mouth to speak only to be cut off by Madame Selene again.

"Don't, Kylar," she said. "Do whatever you have to; just get them to join us."

* * *

The sun was oddly cold today and the trees were still, there seemed to be no wind today. Everything so was quiet. So eerie. That's the way everything felt when the Cult separated, at least that's what it felt to Kara. The halls of Sivasi were quieter. There were less people in the dining rooms. Even weekly sacrifices were oddly solemn. Eran had intensified her training, yet even that seemed more lifeless than usual. Kara knew the split was not for the better.

Today, however, Eran had suspended her training and taken her along with him to meet with someone from the Sa'kage. Kara's mouth twitched slightly at the thought of the Sa'kage. She hated them. What they stood for. Manipulation. Greed. Lust. Everything that ever impeded on humankind from coexisting was present in the Sa'kage. And now, they were meeting with one of them. Why? Even Eran didn't know. Or he wouldn't tell Kara.

"Don't underestimate him because he is dressed simply," Eran said quietly to Kara.

They both stood there, Master and e'iant, in the windless plain. Everything still. Their hoods were up, obscuring their faces. In the distance they watched as the Sa'kage messenger walked towards them. He was blonde headed and had a short stature. His clothes were simple peasant ones but his face wore the expression of very knowledgeable and observant individual. His expression was very telling of the person beneath the peasant robes. It was deceiving, Kara knew. Something was off about this messenger. She couldn't place her finger on it.

"But don't overestimate him either," Eran said a few moments later as he took a few steps towards the messenger when he was closer.

The pair stood quite a ways from Kylar. He was thankful they kept their distance from him. They probably didn't want to be there more than he did.

"My name is Stefan," Kylar lied. "I am the messenger from the Sa'kage. I was told you would be alone, Eran."

"State your business, Stefan," Eran commanded, ignoring Kylar's comments.

"The Cult based in Khalidor has declared itself an enemy of Cenaria's king, thus an enemy of Cenaria City. Our spies tell us that they plan to attack soon and they will destroy everything in their path on the way to the king. Of course, as you must understand, the Sa'kage cannot allow this… it's bad for business, afterall," Kylar said, playing his part carefully. "There will be a war," he paused for effect. "And Sa'kage wishes for you to join us in the battle."

The whole time Eran and Kara had been listening intently. Kara was shocked to hear of the news. Oruz was insane. The king of Cenaria had his pitfalls but he was no evil being. There had been no news of this. It was a waste of all the Hands and Bloods that Oruz and Erlot had taken with them. Innocent members put on the line for some petty conquest. It stank badly of corruption.

No one spoke for several minutes; the whole world seemed to have stopped at that very moment.

"In truth," Eran said after a few moments of silence, "this was something I very much expected from my fellow Oruz who fled to Khalidor. Yes, indeed… But tell me why the scum Sa'kage, source of vice in Cenaria, should as help from the justly Cult?"

Kylar held his gazed with Eran through his hooded eyes, "If you're just people, like you say you are, you would help prevent the obliteration of the Cenaria people," Kylar paused again. "If the Khalidorian Cult can turn on Cenaria City, what makes you think they won't turn on you?"

"Yes, we know this," Eran replied. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend…" Eran said thoughtfully to himself. "Well, Stefan, return to your headquarters and let your leader know that we will fight for the Cenarian people, but not for the Sa'kage. We will also contact the other two branches of the Cult. Hopefully there will be some sense still left in them."

Stefan nodded once and the two parties went their separate ways.


End file.
